The art of eating alone: A practice of solitude seen as the saddest state of self-incrimination.

But we should do it anyway.

We've all seen it; the person sitting alone in a restaurant or a coffee shop. I'd be willing to bet that we've all had similar thoughts run through our minds.

"I wonder if they got stood up."

"They must have no friends."

"How sad."

But why do we feel this way? Is it because the movies use the person sitting alone as a symbol of some sadness, or is it simply our human nature to be in a pack? The insecurity of being alone seems to permeate throughout all we do.

When I googled "eating alone" before writing this article, I discovered countless google images of lonely looking individuals with captions that read "ten tips for eating alone."

One of the tips was to be on your phone to appear busy.

To appear busy.

How sad is that? Not only are we not allowed to indulge in a moment of solitude, we can't let anyone know that we're, in fact, not busy at all. How many times can you scroll through the same Facebook feed before you give the act up?

We have become so accustomed to convincing others of our importance that we've lost sight of doing things simply because we want to.

Independence is power, and the sooner you learn how to use it, the less you will care about your perceived "importance."

Yet, this is so much easier said than done. We need people. We need connections and relationships to feel whole, so it's hard to venture out on our own. I can say though, that as much as I love being with my friends, it's the time that I give to myself unexplained to anyone else that is the most empowering.

If I'm in the mood for a coffee and no one else is, then I go by myself. If I want to see a movie that no one else likes I take myself. If no one likes the music you play in your car then don't pick them up. Drive around alone and listen to whatever you want. I'm so sick of trying to connect with people over menial things like music, movie and television preferences because the strange sort of validation we seek from others does nothing to make us stronger individuals.

Now, more than ever, I'm not afraid to admit what I like and don't like. I also don't care if people think what I'm doing is important or not because it's important to me. That's what matters.

Eating alone shouldn't be seen as sad, it should be seen as an art. It's a skill that we must practice. If we can't be comfortable with ourselves, how can we ever extend ourselves to others? It's beautiful to be empowered enough to do whatever you want without justification to anyone. This doesn't have to be just about eating, it can be about anything that you have enough courage to go about doing solo.

It may feel uncomfortable at times, but do it anyway.