How To Be Single AND Happy

If you're like me - and just about every last one of my single female friends - you often think that you'd be happier if only you were in a relationship. But does being in a relationship really make you happier? And how can you make yourself happier, with or without a mate? I talked to Gretchen Rubin, the author of the popular blog The Happiness Project about all this. She had some great pointers for how single people can get more out of life-and maybe just find their way to a relationship in the process.

1. Remember how much freedom you have, as a single person.
Don't focus on what you think you're missing. Focus on all you can do.You don't have to coordinate your schedule with anyone else's. You have all the time you want to go to the gym, see old friends, make new ones, take classes, meet new people - whatever you feel like doing.

2. Stop comparing yourself to other people who seem better off than you are - like everyone else who's in a relationship. The more you do that, the less happy you'll feel.

3. Join or start a group related to something you're interested in - a book club, a knitting circle, a wine-tasting group. Lead a Girl Scout troop. Start taking a regular exercise class or going on hikes with a local organization. Go to the dog run. (Doing exercise and getting out in nature are great ways to add some happiness to your day, by the way.)
4. Make three new friends in every situation. I'm always on the look-out for them, which helps keep me more open and engaging. So, if you start a new job, say, or move to a new neighborhood, look out for your new buddies.

There are also self-contained things you can do to feel better about yourself.
Like:

  • Get up every morning a little early to go for a run-and stick to your new exercise routine.

  • Quit smoking.

  • Pay down your credit card.

Read more from Maura Kelly at her blog: A Year of Living Flirtatiously

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Reprinted with Permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.