Often times, we’re under the impression that we need a significant other in order to be happy. We watch romantic movies, see pictures of cute couples on social media, read romantic novels, etc., and what happens? We end up feeling lonely, and end up feeling like we need a significant other to complete us. We fall in love with the idea of love and having someone to fall in love with, but what if instead of that someone being a significant other, we decided to fall in love with ourselves instead? Being alone can be surprisingly fun, and there are many ways to fall in love with yourself and being alone.

Find Your Environment

Environment can have a huge impact on your mood and your mindset, which is why it is key to find places that make you feel content, fulfilled, and happy. Once you find these places, don’t be afraid to go there. If you’re alone and in a stressful environment, you may be more prone to feeling as though you need someone to take away that stress, but if you’re in a low-key and happy environment, you may be more likely to feel content on your own. Some quality, low-key environments could be coffee shops, anything involving nature, libraries, etc. It depends on personal preference, but don’t be afraid to experiment and explore new environments as often as you want.

Take Yourself On Adventures

We often think that we need other people to go on adventures with in order for them to be fun. Yes, it can be fun to go on adventures with friends, but it can be just as fun alone as well. The perks of going on adventures alone is that it provides you with the ability to truly appreciate your surroundings and take in the adventure without the need to discuss it with anyone or document it on social media. You can truly do it on your terms and based on your preferences. Also, when you go on adventures alone, it becomes your own unique experience, and you don’t have to share it with anyone else if you don’t want to.

Expand Your Social Surroundings

Being alone doesn’t necessarily mean shutting yourself in your room and not talking to anyone. In fact, sometimes it’s refreshing to be around people and experience social interaction, and you don’t necessarily need to be alone physically to appreciate being alone. Sometimes when we spend a lot of time with ourselves we get bored and end up wanting to spend time with someone else, such as a significant other, but it doesn’t even necessarily need to be a significant other that we spend time with. Spending time with friends can satisfy in the same way as spending time with a significant other can if you allow it to, and spending time with friends and new people can not only comfort you and make you happy, it can also help you to appreciate the time you get to spend alone with yourself as well.

Explore Your Abilities

Sometimes we have a tendency to under appreciate ourselves and our potential. We get stuck in this idea of “here are my talents and interests, and nothing else”, and we forget that we have endless options to experiment with, and that there is untapped potential within each of us. We can sometimes get bored of ourselves, our lives, and our talents/interests, which is when the idea of having a significant other with new interests can sound even more appealing. Interests other than our own can sound exciting and intriguing, but a significant other isn’t necessary in order to experience them. You may feel bored, but that’s a perfect excuse to try something new and explore new possible talents or interests. The worst that could happen is that you don’t end up liking what you try, but the best that could happen is that you find something new that excites you and helps you embrace yourself and being alone.