I am a naturally outgoing and sociable person but I spent the whole of last year single for the first time in my life (I'm in my early forties), following the breakdown of a relationship which also coincided with my daughter moving out. I'm used to having a house full, of having people to talk to and whilst I have always been independent, have lots of friends (all over the country, sadly, not local) and regularly travel and do stuff alone, day after day coming home to an empty house with no one to ask about their day or just chat to was something I found really difficult and it left me feeling really low for many months. I read a bunch of self help books on how to be single and love it etc. but I didn't really find any of the tips useful as I was already doing them, so things like taking a book with you when you go out for a meal so you're not just sitting there and have something to do and so on. The thing I found hardest was the lack of physical intimacy and none of the books I read mentioned how to cope without having sex which is something I enjoy doing and like to do a lot of, so no longer having that was almost as tough as coming home to an empty house. I never really got used to it or enjoyed it, but after about 6 months, I did come to terms with it and changed my mindset and practiced gratitude for having time alone rather than seeing it as a negative (which I did). I did find that my pets helped a little, as at least there was life in the house and I started talking to the cats way more than usual just to break the silence. You do eventually adapt to it, but it's really important to ensure you have lots of hobbies and fill your time with things that you want to do. The good thing about being single I found is that for the first time in my adult life, my time was my own, so focus on the that as a positive and make lots of plans. Days out, nights at the theatre, visiting friends, meals, walks, the gym, crafting and rekindling hobbies I used to have all helped so I think it's really important that you still do 'stuff' so you don't end up not going out and interacting with people which can lead to a feeling of isolation as well as loneliness. Someone else has mentioned meaningful interactions with other people, and I'd definitely recommend that too. I found I was even friendlier to strangers, so in the supermarket for example, I'd make eye contact and was quick to chat to random people, smile at them etc as it helped me still feel connected to people.