How to Be Alone But Not Lonely

Being alone doesn’t mean you have to be lonely. What if you could learn the art of enjoying your own company so that your alone time felt delicious rather than desperate, self-loving instead of lonely? The following video can give you some ideas for how to turn your time alone into time well spent.

Feeling lonely sometimes is normal. It doesn’t matter if you’re coupled or single, if your family is big or small, or if you have tons of friends. Everyone has moments of loneliness. It might not feel good, but it’s a normal feeling to experience.

Here’s the Good News

The good news is that no feeling is final. Instead of trying to find someone else to take away your loneliness, you can learn to sit with the discomfort of the feeling with the full confidence that it will pass if you let it. You can also shift your perspective so that being alone doesn’t necessarily mean feeling lonely. It can even feel good to be alone.

Feeling lonely and isolated can contribute to physical and even mental health issues. It’s important to have a network of support in your life, but it’s equally important to learn to navigate healthy time alone. Learning to enjoy your own company is a wonderful way to improve your quality of life.

Try these short journaling exercises to help make your alone time self-loving and not lonely.

What are 5 qualities you love about yourself?
What are 5 hobbies or interests you enjoy that you can do on your own?
What is one movie you could watch over and over and never get tired of watching?
What are the top 3 books you’ve been wanting to read but haven’t had time to read yet?
Name 3 ways you love to relax at home.

This short journaling activity could help you identify some home alone activities that won’t have you screaming from sheer boredom and loneliness. You might even find that you enjoy your own company. So, put on some tunes and dance it out in your living room, or go take a bubble bath and bring one of those books you keep meaning to read. Time spent with yourself is not wasted. In fact, it can be wonderful if you let it.