7 Reasons You Don't Need to Be in a Relationship Right Now ...

1. You're Too Busy

Sounds like a cop-out, but one of the reasons you don't need to be in a relationship is because you have too much on your plate. Any relationship requires time, energy, and a level of devotion to function properly. If you're currently holding down two jobs, in school part-time, acting as a live-in babysitter to your younger siblings, and barely holding on to a social life, a relationship is not what you need right now. Sure, the idea of "if you really want to make something work, you can make it work" SOUNDS good, but if you're really honest with yourself, you will see how unrealistic that idea is. Entering into a relationship when you're already busy with a million other things will only lead to destruction for you and your new mate.

2. You're Focused on Your Career

No matter if you're young and just starting a career or older and venturing off into a new career, if you have tunnel vision for the work you wish to do, you likely will not be able to duplicate that passion for a relationship right now. In line with the idea of being "too busy," being career-focused is a sure sign that you should hold off on a relationship, at least until you get where you want to be career wise. Take a step back and evaluate what's really the most important thing for you right now. If it's your career, then put your energy into that and worry about a relationship later.

3. You're Not Ready for a Commitment

One of the reasons you don't need to be in a relationship is because you are not ready for a commitment. If you often have trouble remaining faithful or struggle with converting from single life to a relationship world, you probably should just stay single for now. You don't want to get someone else's feelings hurt on account of your recklessness and refusal to be committed. To keep all parties happy, it's probably best if you explain your desire to be single to any potential boos.

4. You Just Got out of Another Relationship

There is nothing worse than jumping into a new relationship to make yourself feel better about your last relationship. Nobody wins in the case of a "rebound relationship," no matter how right it may feel in the moment. If you just departed from a relationship with someone else, you should take a substantial amount of time and dedicate it to just you. No dates. No meeting new people whom you potentially want to date. Hang out with your friends and family, and refocus your world on what's important (YOU!) before you dive back into the dating scene.

5. You're Immature

If you're immature, dating is not for you right now. Immaturity often breeds childish jealousy, insecurity, and the inability to cope with the hardships that come with a relationship. If your friends are constantly on your case about being immature, there's a good chance that you need to mature a bit before you even think about jumping into a relationship. Even teenagers require a certain level of maturity before dating, and if you aren't meeting that threshold, you probably should work on growing up beforehand. After all, being pinned as immature by everyone due to the way you handled a relationship is not something you want following you around for the next couple of years.

6. You Want a Relationship for All the Wrong Reasons

If you want to enter a relationship solely for any superficial reason, you certainly do not need to be in one right now. If you want to become committed to someone because "it's cute" or because you're being pressured into it or it's simply something to do, you have zero business coupling up with someone right now. One of the main reasons I see many people getting together is out of convenience: that is, you both go to the same school or work at the same place and thus, the relationship seems to just work. But what about when you graduate school or change jobs? Will the relationship still be able to work? If you aren't able to answer that question without thinking twice about it, you definitely do not need to be in a relationship right now.

7. You're Forcing a Relationship

If you have to give your potential mate an ultimatum such as "Be in a relationship with me or I leave," you're forcing a relationship that probably does not need to exist in the first place. Relationships should be organic and something that both parties agree to without pressure. If you find yourself (or your boo) trying to pressure each other into a relationship that they are clearly pulling away from, the relationship will be doomed before it even begins. You certainly do not need to be in a relationship with that particular person, if anything.

No matter what anyone tries to tell you, there is nothing wrong with the single life. You should not rush to get into a relationship simply because it seems as though everyone else is doing it. Let a relationship come into fruition naturally, and once it does, be sure that you are putting the necessary love and care into it in order to keep you and your mate happy. Have you had an experience where you fell into one of the aforementioned categories but jumped into a relationship anyway? Or how about a time where you made a relationship work, despite fitting into one of these categories? Don't be shy - share in the comments! I would love to hear about it!