Have you tried inviting some girlfriends over for a night of Jennifer Aniston flicks and toenail painting? I kid, I kid. But I also kid because you are asking one of life's most fundamental questions. Learning to be alone is something that we all struggle with at one point or another. There is no fundamental answer; no single cure for loneliness. All I can do is share how I have coped with loneliness in the past, and hope that by sharing my feelings you will not feel so alone. Awww!

When I was single, there were two things that always kept me going. One, the idea that when you are alone, anything is possible. Yes, not having a boyfriend or husband right now is a bummer. That is one way of looking at it. Another way to look at it is, nobody is tying you down. Wanna take off and cruise around Europe for a month? Move to another state for grad school? You don't have to worry about anyone keeping you in one place. Sure, other factors like work, money, or family might get in the way. But you don't have to factor in a relationship into any of your life choices right now.

Second: you will not always be alone. Someone will come into your life, be it a new friend or the love you've always dreamed of, and pull you out of your current funk. There is the constant possibility that you might meet the love of your life tomorrow. Maybe you'll be at the coffee shop, and both reach for the soy milk at the same time, or maybe you'll be at your friend's birthday party and some cute guy will compliment your snazzy Futurama t-shirt. Maybe that isn't enough for you. But for me, the possibility of meeting someone, the feeling that anything could happen as long as I was open to it, always made me feel better about being single.   

Another surefire way of coping with loneliness is to be happy with yourself. It sounds trite, but you might as well use this time alone to work on you. Explore your passions and hone your talents. My friend, who is an artist, goes to movies and restaurants by himself all the time. I asked him how he can stand to be alone in public, and he told me that he isn't lonely, because he always has his sketchpad and pencil with him. He can always create something, and that makes him feel less alone. Music helps me. So does writing, seeing movies, and walking around the city. (The being content with yourself thing is also important once you're in a relationship. Plenty of people in relationships also feel lonely and isolated, often due to a lack of contentment with their own lives.)

What about looking up old friends or relatives? It's so easy now with Facebook, and what not. You never know, they might be really happy to hear from you. It can't hurt to expand your social network.  

Finally, if I can channel my inner theater nerd for a moment, remember the song "No One is Alone" from Into the Woods, performed here by the very talented (and very bosom-y) Bernadette Peters. I find that song very moving, because it's true. Besides the obvious like surrounding yourself with friends and family, remember that we are all in this together. No one exist in a vacuum; you always have people coming in and out of your life. You will have periods of being alone, and you will have times when you wish that everyone would just leave you alone. And, geez, not to get too metaphysical here, but the cosmos aligned in such a way to create a website where you can ask for advice on how to cope with loneliness. See? The universe is looking out for you. You are not a lonely astronaut stuck on Mars-- there are support groups, therapists, friends, book clubs, Rock Band nights at bars, and even strangers in the park who might strike up a conversation because they see that you are reading How to Be Alone and wonder what you think of Jonathan Franzen's other books.

But, seriously, maybe consider inviting some friends over for movie and board game night. If nothing else, it'll take your mind off the vast, endless emptiness of the universe for at least a few hours.