I often read something like ”trying to avoid hurting another person in a relationship is an impossible task” or ”accept that in relationships you will get hurt and you will eventually hurt another person” and that’s considered to be normal. People accept that pain is inevitable and join relationships despite the fear. However, if pain is inevitable, the pain you feel by staying by yourself is also a type of manageable pain. Very rarely someone considers that tolerating a pain of being on your own might be a healthy choice for yourself and for that potential person who you would have hurt if you started dating them. The pain of being alone as for me carries less damage than the pain you get from another person in a relationship, and doesn’t hurt anyone but you at the same time.