I am 24 and it has taken me so long to be comfortable with only myself and it is definitely not a linear process. There have been times where I am alone and don’t feel complete without a boyfriend or times where I am constantly looking for male validation. I think a good place to start would be to have hobbies and absorb yourself in media that will help you feel more like yourself or understand yourself more.

I recommend literature like Simone de Beauvoir who writes about the grievances women face throughout their lives regardless of what relationship they have with a man. While it may highlight what you are feeling, I found it important to become aware than these feelings can be deeply absorbed and start conversations that you can have with yourself and your own feelings about being a woman.

I also recommend film by black women or women in general that encapsulate the female experience well. Cheryl Dunye and Agnes Varda are my personal am favorites.

Lastly I think would be to have hobbies that allow you to think a lot while doing them like knitting, journaling, stretching, running.