January is a month of resolutions and promises. Gym memberships, cleansing diets, and the recurring question of whether this will finally be the year you find a partner. Add to that engagement announcements, new relationships popping up everywhere, and the well-meaning friend who asks, “So, are you dating anyone?”

But what if 2026 isn’t the year you finally couple up, and instead the year you get exceptionally good at being with yourself?

Not in a sad, resigned “I guess this is my life now” way, in a grounded, self-assured, thriving solo way.

“I am learning how to be alone, and it’s okay.”— Ocean Vuong

Take Yourself Out to Dinner

This is a moment most people fear. A table for one, please. Just you, the menu, and the creeping sense that people are watching you.

Going out to dinner alone isn’t as scary as you think. The truth is, no one is watching.

Eating alone in public often activates attachment wounds. Humans are social mammals. We are wired for connection. Sitting by yourself can bring up old dysfunctional narratives, such as I’m being left out or something must be wrong with me. These thoughts are learned scripts, reinforced by a culture that treats partnership as the proof of success and worth.

Pushing through that discomfort, ordering the appetizer, and putting your phone face down helps retrain your nervous........

© Psychology Today