The start of the New Year can be somewhat of a downer if you’re lonely and looking for love. Must I be reminded that I still don’t have a ring on my finger or someone to make vacation plans with?! While you might be the most fabulous single girl on the block, we all have our moments of insecurity when we wish we there was a guy around to warm up those cold winter nights. With the start of the Chinese New Year right around the corner, however, maybe it’s time to stop sulking and start showing off how amazing you are – single or not. In fact, the Year of the Rabbit is a perfect time to turn inward, pay attention to your own needs, and act with class and confidence. Here are three ways to embrace your autonomy this year and be single in style:

1. Out with the old, in with the new.
   Ok, it’s time to toss those self-defeating habits and try on some new, more affirming attitudes and behaviors. This goes for your dating style as well as all other areas of your life. Are you hoping to meet a nice guy but only hang around at trashy clubs or dive bars? Want to get in shape but still haven’t signed up for that gym membership? You can’t make room for the things you want until you give up the things that aren’t working. Take action to try something different – even if you end up failing. Since the New Year starts with a Tiger month, you’ve got the green light to be bold, active, and adventurous.
   
   
2. Spend more time with other singles.
   Sure, you adore your married best friends and happily attached co-workers, but do you have enough single cronies in your life? Whether we want to admit it or not, singles and non-singles can lead very different lifestyles. It can be affirming and empowering to have other unattached gal pals to bond with when everyone else is having date night. In a Rabbit year, it’s important to keep your loved ones close. Make sure to seek out and nurture these friendships.
   
   
3. Do what you do.
   You’ve heard this before, but it merits repeating: go live your life for you! One of the greatest things about being single is the freedom. After all, your married pals probably can’t skip town for the weekend or study abroad in Spain for the summer without factoring in a husband or boyfriend. This really is the time to indulge your every wild dream and tiniest guilty pleasure. Once a man arrives on the scene, compromise becomes your mantra.

Above all, the Year of the Metal Rabbit calls us to create peace, nurture our bonds, and tend to the important things in life. Since nothing is more important than you, give your single life some props and just be your fabulous self. The added bonus? No man can resist a confident, self-sufficient, and optimistic woman. Maybe the saying that you find love when you stop looking for it is true after all.