You can learn to love being with yourself. Whether you just left a long-term relationship or have spent time in a series of shorter ones, you now find yourself single and not enjoying it. You may long to jump back into the dating world, but before you do that, there are some important lessons you can learn from being single. As with any healthy relationship, learning how to love the person you're with and have trust and self-confidence is key. But when it comes to your relationship with yourself, can you say for certain that you know how to love yourself and build your low self-esteem up? Being single gives you the unique opportunity to spend time with and improve your relationship with the one person in your life who truly matters: You. If you’re the type of person who always has a special someone in their lives and finds themselves unexpectedly alone, this is especially important for you. But anyone thinking about dating no matter what their history, should learn to love their own company before they try to love someone else. Here are 3 important lessons you can learn from being single right now that will positively impact your relationships in the future:

1. You'll feel more confident

I’m not saying you can’t be confident while in a relationship, but there’s no doubt that relying on yourself entirely, taking care of your home, managing your own budget, and taking care of yourself, builds confidence like nothing else will. If you’ve never had to travel alone, do your own washing, or buy your own drinks at the bar, it can be challenging to suddenly be alone. But once you can do all these things by yourself, you’ll feel like there’s no stopping you, and when you do enter the dating world you’ll be way more attractive to daters than someone who can’t even boil an egg by themselves.

2. You'll get to know yourself

Spend some time with yourself and really get to know the inner you. If you’ve recently come out of a long relationship, or you’ve been through a series of shorter ones, the inner you might be a bit lost in all the emotion and upheaval. Also, relationships, even the happiest, can often cause you to lose sight of who you were before and who you are as an individual. Get to know yourself again before you let anyone else get to know you. Rediscover the things you liked to do before you were in a relationship and find out who you are now after your relationships have ended. This puts you in the best position to move forward and start thinking about new love.

3. You'll learn to enjoy being single

There’s an old saying that you find love when you’re least expecting it, and this can be very true. I’m not suggesting you cut yourself off from dating, but I am saying you should let up on the pressure. Most of us would prefer to be in a relationship, but in the meantime and while you’re looking, being single can actually be a lot of fun. Relax your foot on the dating pedal and enjoy your single life while you have it. Spend more time with friends and family, watch what you like on TV, and spread out in the bed as much as you like. View being single in a positive light and recognize all the many pluses. You’ll find that when you do date with this frame of mind, you’re more laid back and will be more open to different people, as well as coming across as someone who has their life sorted.