With “cuffing season” coming up, you may be feeling especially lonely. I mean, doesn’t everyone want someone to go to the pumpkin patch, watch scary movies, and bake festive treats with? But what if I told you, you can do all of those activities alone? I know, scary, right?

This is the season, and it’s really not as scary as you may think. Solitude is a skill and something people have to learn.

As a college student, you may find yourself doing activities that you used to do with friends, alone: going to the grocery store, studying, working out, etc. The better we become at doing mundane everyday activities alone, the better we can be at being alone and learning to enjoy it.

It may not be easy, but once you work your way up, you will feel so much more content with yourself and not feel the urge to be with a partner all the time. The best way to love solitude is to take yourself on dates. You can begin with something lowkey, like going to a movie by yourself.

This is a great option because if you get anxious about what people may think of someone doing something solo, you have the luxury of being in a dark theater. Once you build up the confidence, you can take yourself on a coffee date, and maybe even take yourself on a dinner date.

Occupying myself with activities helped me learn how to be alone. For example, if I went to dinner alone, I would bring a book for me to read to keep my mind busy.

Being in a relationship, especially during the cold months, can be magical, but so can enjoying your own company.