How Health's video: How to Enjoy Being Alone

Whether you long for a boyfriend or girlfriend or miss your family and friends, you can learn to enjoy being alone. Keep in mind that while humans are social animals, that doesn't mean that we can't be perfectly happy outside of society too. 1 Edit Learning to Love Your Solitude 2 Try to be happy and optimistic. Happiness comes from within, regardless of your situation. Don’t use being alone as an excuse for not enjoying your life! Choose to see the good things in life and work on having an optimistic outloook. 3 Reflect on life and greater meanings of the world. Some of the time you spend alone can be focused on reflection. Make time to be introspective and think about your life. Consider your past, present, and future goals. Above all, contemplation is one of the most important self-building things you can do. Think about what makes you you. What do you believe in? Why? Are there any things that don't seem right to you? What do you believe at face value (or accept as a matter of faith) 4 Avoid over-analyzing things. It is easy to read into experiences, feelings, thoughts, and attitudes of others and make judgements that are really founded on nothing more than your own naive perception. This can quickly become a negative activity and get you down. Realize that you may not have all the facts and that's just fine. 5 Do everything you would normally do with a partner or friend. Many times it isn't the partner or friend you are missing, but the activities and hobbies you shared. Don’t hold yourself back! Go out and do the things you enjoy. For example, if you would have gone out to dinner or to a movie on a date, then take yourself out to a movie or to a nice restaurant. 6 Exercise 3 times a week. Exercise not only gives you something to do, it also helps you stay healthy and feel good about yourself. Set aside 30 minutes 3 times a week to exercise. You can go to a gym if you want to be around people, or workout at home. Rediscover the fun to be had in simple exercises. Riding a bike around your neighborhood becomes less work and more fun as you do it. Be consistent. Exercise takes willpower and diligence. Make a schedule and stick to it. Keep it easy at first and you will discover your limits. Or, join a gym and create new friends there. 7 Spend time outside and in nature. It's a big world out there, and you're only seeing a small fraction of it. Avoid holing up in your home for days on end. Go outside, forget the people, and just enjoy what life has to offer. Once you do that, then people will want to know and be with you. Frankly, you won't have a choice but to have friends! 8 Get involved by volunteering. Doing some charity work can make you feel good a bout yourself. It’s also a great way to give back to your community and help people in need. Do an online search for volunteer opportunities in your area. You can find anything from volunteering at a hospital or helping out at a community theatre to coaching a youth sports team or feeding the homeless.