The Art of Being Happy Alone: How to be Happy Alone

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Have you gone to eat at a restaurant by yourself and you just feel everyone’s eyes on you because you’re eating all by yourself?

Have you ever wanted to travel somewhere but you had no one to go with so you just end up not going?

This was me just a few months ago. Every time people saw me and I was alone, I was so self conscious because I felt like they were judging me just because I was by myself.

Today I’m going to teach you the art of being happy alone. Instead of just not doing whatever it is that you want to do, you can learn how to be happy alone.

Why is it Important to Learn the Art of being Happy Alone?

First of all, you should be able to just go enjoy yourself without feeling self conscious if you’re by yourself.

If you want to go on a last minute trip, you should be able to. You shouldn’t enjoy it any less if you’re by yourself.

You have to learn to be comfortable by yourself.

Who do you spend the most time with? Do you think it’s your friends? Your family? No, it’s you. You spend the most time with yourself.

How can you ever truly be happy if you don’t want to spend time just by yourself.

You have to learn to be happy alone before you can be happy with other people.

You are the main character in your story. You’re not the side character. You have to learn to be happy with yourself. If you don’t you’ll come home every night after hanging out with your friends and family and not be happy anymore.

It can be hard to learn the art of being happy alone. Keep reading to find out how to be happy alone.

How to be Happy Alone

Find Beauty in the Small Things

One of the biggest ways I’ve found personal growth is by learning to find beauty in the small things.

Instead of walking right past without even noticing, learn to stop and smell the roses.

If you’re feeling lonely, spend some time outside and just look at the beauty of everything.

Practice Gratitude

A new habit I’ve recently started to feel happier alone is to practice gratitude.

Every morning I wake up, and I think of at least three things I am grateful for. I love using this 52 week gratitude journal.

Practicing gratitude forces you to think about the good in life and changes your negative mindset to a positive one.

Instead of waking up and thinking about how much you dread the day, wake up and think of all of the things you’re grateful for. Even if you feel like you don’t have much to be grateful for because of your life situation, you can find small things and it will still change your mindset.

You can this free daily gratitude planner here or by clicking the image below.

Cut Down on Social Media

There have been studies that have shown that social media negatively affects self esteem and mental health.

Social media is even known to cause feelings of loneliness, which probably won’t help if you’re already feeling lonely.

Take a step back from social media at least just to see if it makes you feel better.

When we’re constantly scrolling through social media, we’re comparing ourselves to others whether we realize it or not.

And then there’s FOMO (fear of missing out). When we look at social media, we mostly see friends together instead of one person. Don’t let this fool you. These are just the highlights.

Don’t let social media make you lonely. It’s okay to be alone and you should be alone at least sometimes.

Spend Quality Time with Yourself

You need quality time with yourself just like you would in a relationship.

Find time to do stuff you enjoy by yourself. Turn off the TV. Turn off your phone. Take yourself on a date.

Start doing at least one self care activity every single day.

This is key to loving yourself more, which can then help you be happier when you’re by yourself instead of lonely.

Practice Mindfulness

One reason we feel lonely when we’re alone is just because of our thoughts.

We’re constantly comparing ourselves to others and thinking that they are judging us for being alone.

We get self conscious when we’re alone.

Start practicing mindfulness everyday. If you’re feeling lonely, just observe these thoughts. Don’t react to them. Just watch them as if their clouds just drifting by- and then they’re gone.

One you see your thoughts from the outside like this, you can better understand them.

People probably aren’t actually judging you for being by yourself. That’s just a thought you conjured up.

Don’t get preoccupied with thinking about how lonely you are. That will just make you feel lonlier.

Look at the Benefits of Being Alone

Instead of looking at being alone as negative, look at the benefits of it.

You can choose to spend your time however you want.

You don’t have to worry about socializing.

You can be more productive

You can be more creative

There is no pressure

You can get the chance to explore your interests

Be Confident

Instead of leaning on your friends and family to boost your self esteem, be your own hype man.

If you feel more confident when you’re surrounded by people, don’t forget that you can also learn to be confident by yourself.

This comes with practicing self love. Be confident when you’re surrounded by people. Be confident when you’re alone.

Take a Break

Instead of always being with people, you should take a break sometimes. If you’re not used to be alone, you can use this break to do some self reflection.

Even if you’re alone most of the time (like me), you should take out the time to self reflect for personal growth.

Keep your Mind and Body in Shape

Learning to happy means keeping your mind, body, and soul in shape.

In the words of Elle Woods, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy.”

You also can’t forget about your mental health. Start meditating. Try journaling. Do the things that make you happy.

Stop Caring what Other People Think

This is easier said than done. With time and self love, you can do it thought.

If you want to go dance in the rain, just do it. It doesn’t matter what other people think.

Honestly, if I saw someone out doing something they loved even if they’re by themselves, I would wish that I could be that confident and be their friend.

Be that person. Do the things you love without reservations. Be 100% yourself and don’t even think about what other people think.

Because it doesn’t matter. When you die, you’re not going to think “I wish I wouldn’t have done that thing I really wanted to do.”

If anything, you’re going to think “I wish I would have done that thing that I wanted to do.”

The art of being happy alone is taking care of yourself, being confident, and not caring what other people think, even if it’s hard.