Being single again is something most everyone experiences more than once in their lifetime. Though it may be a tough process to go through, seeing relationships through from start to finish is necessary. It’s simply part of the growing pains of life.

Emotional development and personal growth can actually skyrocket after a breakup. Both of these processes typically involve moving through relationships – romantic and otherwise – and reflecting on our experiences, actions and accountability. This allows us to learn, evolve and prepare ourselves for what will come next.

With that in mind, it’s important to make the most of your time being single. The following steps will allow you to continue make progress and improve the relationship with yourself.

1. Date Yourself

Though dating yourself may sound like an odd thing to do, it’s actually the healthiest and most necessary step to take when you find yourself single again.

Taking yourself to the movies, to dinner, on long walks, for coffee or to an art exhibit gives you an opportunity to enjoy time with yourself and get comfortable with the experience that is you. Of course, these are just a handful of dating ideas, so be sure to choose something that suits you.

Regardless of which dating experience you choose, make it quality time with yourself.

2. Get Reconnected

Another possibility to consider involves taking quality time a step further and reconnecting to yourself in other ways. These particular modes of reconnection go beneath the surface. In other words, you’ll need to be emotionally available to yourself.

Now, before you begin to snicker at the thought, remember that the relationship we have with ourselves is exactly the kind of relationship we will attract with someone else. So, if you want someone who is emotionally available to and emotionally intimate with you, you’ll need to offer both to yourself. Journaling, writing love letters to yourself, discovering or rediscovering passions and hobbies, and creating new holiday rituals are just some of the ways in which you can begin to do just that.

3. Exercise The Mind

To continue with the efforts in reconnecting with yourself, it is necessary to begin evolving yourself by exercising the mind. After all, the more you know, the more you grow.

So, join a book club, take classes at a community college or simply acquire and read growth-oriented or educational books. It doesn’t matter what mental fitness steps you take, as long as the focus is on expanding your mind.

4. Evolve Your Soul

It’s important to expand and evolve your soul by beginning a deeper inward journey. Entering counseling, joining a support group, writing a memoir, reading self-help books, or participating in another form of facilitated self-growth, healing or recovery will provide the first step.

Though this may be the most uncomfortable way to make the most of the single experience, it is certainly the most beneficial.

5. Focus On The Spiritual

Finally, being single again offers a perfect opportunity to discover, reconnect with and heal the spiritual self. Though many certainly share the spiritual aspects of themselves with their romantic partners, when an earthly relationship ends, it is a chance to deepen the spiritual one with your higher power.

To focus in on the spiritual aspect of the self, you can try meditation, energy work, getting involved in spiritual activities, or joining a Bible study group. However, it is necessary to do something that shifts your focus to the internal (spirituality), rather than the external (religion). In other words, go deeper than merely sitting in the pews on Sunday.

No matter what steps you take to make the most of your time being single again, be sure it’s a step outside of your comfort zone. After all, that’s where God does the most amazing work.

You may also be interested in Lessons In Love: Breakups Are About Learning, Not Loss