When all of your friends have got an S.O. it can sometimes feel like you need an S.O.S. That’s because no-one ever seems to tell you ‘they’ll get the drinks this time’, stuffs your hand in their pocket when it’s cold or says things to you in a strange made-up language like ‘miaow miaow’ which roughly translates to ‘shall we bail and go home to watch Mindhunter?’. Being a third wheel in social situations can often make you feel like the spare piece in a giant game of animal pairs. But, fear not, because there are a few things you can do to cope...

Relationships on Female First

Relationships on Female First

Hold a fancy dress party and go as a wheel.

As you have double the amount of friends since they all come in pairs (as well as the best fancy dress costume idea ever) it’s the perfect opportunity to host a massive party.

Analyse your friend’s relationships and make a mental list of the do’s and don’ts.

Now is your prime time to scout out and learn from the many couples around you, so you will know all the ins and outs of what makes and breaks a relationship by the time you actually get one.

Work on your humour.

This is a great time to discover how fabulously funny you are, as there’s no better way to deal with being a third wheel than with some good ol’ self-deprecating humour (see point 1).

Let your friends wingman you.

There is nothing that excites couples more than setting up their single friends. It’s worth letting them do so just to end the pitying looks and numerous questions - ‘but are you really happy?’.

Buy a dog and name it ‘Bae’...

...so you can say things like ‘me and Bae went for a walk the other day’ and it will seem like you, too, are in a relationship.

Take Bae to everything as your plus one.

Weddings? Birthdays? Tandem cycle rides? Take your dog. Whatsmore, dogs attract attention wherever they go, so even if it’s just you and Bae, a babble of excited people are sure to follow wherever you go so you will never be alone.

Distract yourself from your friends’ PDA by petting Bae...

(...plus Bae won’t lick as much.)

Take selfies when they kiss in front of you.

This will boost your social media engagement and also add to your humour levels (see point 3).

Reinvent yourself as ‘Harry Potter’.

Harry Potter is the ultimate third wheel and has been so through seven books and eight films. Once you embrace your inner ‘Harry Potter’ you will suddenly find it a lot easier to cope with ‘Ron and Hermione’s’ constant couple fights. #Muffliato #AccioGin

Remember that you are a strong, confident, amazing person…

...and a partner is only an optional addition to your life and will never affect just how brilliant you are.

*Abbie Moujaes is the in-house dating expert at world’s largest dating app, Badoo, which has over 380 million users worldwide and is available in 190 countries. Click here to download it!


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