How I learned to love being alone. 

Geeeez the cinematography in this was UNREAL Nathaniel!! The story, the shots, the music: *chef's kiss*!

I've always enjoyed being alone, I'm learning to enjoy being with people. The right kind of people. 💙

I am 61 and have been single by choice for most of my life. It's been the right choice for me. It's not always easy but trying to force myself into a marriage or relationship role was awful. It's true that life is short and you need to do you. Not everyone is designed to get married or raise children.

Pure Gold. I'm probably old enough to be your grandfather. I came upon this essence around 45 years ago. I remember the event; having one of those oddly agitated Saturdays alone in my flat. I was drawn to the bathroom mirror where I looked myself deeply in the eyes unflinchingly. Well, we've all had a moment like that but this was next-level. I made peace with myself, warts and all. My life experience pivoted then, like a galaxy pivoting on its axis. Through your work assembling this piece you've put my experience and certainly that of countless others into an audio and video realm, adding textures and smells and colours. Thank you. You're a prince of a guy.

Literally yesterday I was just thinking of "wherever you go, there you are." Love this reflection of synchronicity in our collective consciousness field. Bravissimo!

More cinematic just like you promise. Beautiful work Nathan. I think vulnerability is such an important part of being human. We’re often closed off to prevent ourselves from getting hurt, but as you say you miss out on so many wonderful experiences when we refuse to give a piece of ourselves to the universe.

"If you are lonely when you're alone, you are in bad company." - Jean-Paul Sartre

"A life distracted is a life starved of the time and space to simply observe." This really resonated with me, thank you Nathaniel!

As someone who is basically a hermit, I enjoy being alone more than anything. I love my freedom, I love the peace and quiet and the space that solitude allows me. I've always been this way, even as a little kid. I was happiest when I was walking alone barefoot in the forest, talking to the trees and the animals. When I became a teenager and through my early 20s, I thought something might be wrong with me and so I tried to chase relationships and forced myself to be more social, but always felt so much lonelier in social situations. Getting to really know yourself and understanding what you need is crucial. Be your own best friend. Wishing the best to everyone! 🌲❤️

Probably the most valuable ‘skill’ to learn in this life is to be comfortable with being alone. Thank you for sharing the positive and wholesome aspects of being ‘a loner’💜

I never felt more alone than when I was surrounded by people who didn't have similar values as me. Alone time helped me to become my own best friend and naturally attract the right people (so far one person lol) into my life, and I couldn't be more grateful for that! Also I was just thinking this morning that it would be great if you posted a video today and voila, here it is! ❤

This resonates with me so much. A young guy in his late 20s just learning to enjoy his solitude after years of cultural pressure to be with people all the time. You really re-validated how fulfilling life can be loving your solitude.

*“My alone feels so good, I’ll only have you if you’re sweeter than my solitude.”* ❤ Yes! I'm so grateful I'm an introvert because my super power of *enjoying* being alone helps me be selective about who I choose to share my life with. 🌈😃🤓😻😄💖 I unwittingly allowed a lot of non-reciprocators into my heart before I learned that boundaries are the actions **I** take when my needs are ignored, and that it's OKAY to be the one to leave even long-term relationships. Being willing to confront what I feared it said about me to be the one to leave & to reduce my circle so small has opened up so much peace, healing, and JOY. 🤩 It also made room for more GOOD people to enter my life. Huzzah! 😀

Incredibly wise for someone so young!

At 31, I realised the more we are around others, we run away from our own issue...if they are not adding any value in life. Its better to be alone.

I feel this. Many times I've reached out to friends that I no longer connect with for the sake of not being alone or keeping up. Social media doesn't help when I feel like I'm missing out despite knowing I don't have that connection with them anymore. Thanks for sharing.

I am wondering... How would a world be like in which the societal pressure of being in a romantic relationship wouldn't be so high. Sometimes I feel like I am very happy being single and only spending time with good close friends, but when all of your friends suddenly get a relationship or get married, you have the 'pressure' to do the same, just to not end up lonely!?

I’m amazed Nathaniel, not only by the message you convey, but the cinematography, compositions, storytelling and just overall look of the video. Keep it up, love this new direction you’re heading in ❤

Love this! I have always loved being alone, but this year I have really become super content with it. I’ve been living away from my home and family for a few years now, and I always wondered where “home” was for me. I settled on it being wherever I was resting that night/my partner. But in the last few weeks, I have realised that I am my home. It’s such a beautiful feeling ❤ I think one has to go through uncomfortable times, alone, to take full ownership of your own happiness.

I have recently been going through the fear of missing out because I have graduated college a year ago I feel like I should more social or have more friends and I am missing out which made me lonely but honestly I have always enjoyed being alone and spending time alone and this helped me affirm that it is okay

Sometimes videos just find you by happy mistakes. I’ve been watching you for awhile, and sometimes, I find that everything gets lost in the algorithm. The last two weeks have been very rough for me and this video found me at the right time. For such a beautifully cinematic and raw cut of being yourself, thanks!

By far one of the best videos out there. The cinematography is insane.

You had to ‘learn’ to like being alone? Literally my day is so filled with people grasping for my attention that I crave, absolutely crave, for alone time.

Being truly alone is a gift but it’s also a practice because there are so many distractions from truly facing yourself in the mirror.

This message resonate with me so much. I'm personally feeling this fomo sometimes but still I don't want to indulge in poor quality relationship that leave me mostly unsatisfied and empty. Genuine connections are hard to find wether in friendship or romantic relationship. The more I age the more I am at peace with who I am and what I want in life. Not afraid anymore of loneliness and not trying to fill the void with meaningless interactions just for the sake of having people in my life. Nathaniel's self awareness is incredible giving his young age. As much as this is a wonderful thing I'm sure it can feel like a curse sometimes.

Thank you Nathaniel. It's been months since I tuned in to your channel. Men's mental health is not spoken enough. And I think this video is a nice contribution to many of us out there.

Thanks so much for man. So much of it struck close to home and was the exact type of perspective I needed at this moment in my life. Appreciate your wisdom and ability to be vulnerable to allow these viewpoints to be shared and benefit others. The impact is exponential.

I’m from Somalia 🇸🇴. I love being alone, just like you. You don't need anyone but yourself to be kind and learn about yourself and it's a good lesson

There were so many times during this video that I almost stopped to comment that what you were saying resonated so deeply with me. You are wise beyond your years. As I approach 60, I am so happy that you and the younger generations are discovering what took me so long to get.

As someone who’s been a loner for life, I relate to this so much! Thank you for making these beautiful videos 🙌🏼

Wow, I've been watching your videos for years now, and just RU-vid videos in general to for forever, but this is the first time I'm actually noticing the beauty of frames. It is SO cinematographic. A pleasure to the eye. And the message is incredibly good and positive and helpful. Thank you, good job !

I agree, I feel when I’m with people I can’t hold enough to process, and ask myself about the feeling I felt in the moment. It feels just so quick that all you did was all about surviving and fitting in.

First of all, the quality of your videos are getting better and better! Absolutely amazing! Secondly, it is so nice to see someone your age going through the same things. It makes you feel so seen and just knowing that your are not weird or just boring, because you are not surrounded by a group of people. The older I get, the more I want the quality time, rather than the time around many people, who don't give me the feeling of belonging. This is absolutely beautiful! Thank you for your videos, I really needed this!

Watching this video right after an almost solo trip (for professional reasons) in Strasbourg (east of France) where i met new people and talked to strangers in german in the train (i had not spoken german for at least a year) makes a lot of sense. Definitively want to travel alone again for a longer period of time because as you said, there is nothing better than this to discover who we really are and to truly connect with people (paradoxically). A french viewer

yeah it's kinda crazy seeing how distracted everyone is, they're distracting themselves from themselves... this was a great reminder to embrace alone time

Eckhart Tolle books changed my life. I’m more present now and live my best life. I have lived alone over 6 years and I have learned a lot about my self and others too.

I'm grateful this video came out. Thank you for the kind words, Nathaniel!

I genuinely think learning to be alone and happy by yourself is an essential part of a healthy mind. You need time without external impulses to reflect on yourself, your life, where you are and want to go. You need to be able to be satisfied without depending on external things (i find). I think that learning to be alone is truly the biggest catalyst of honest, critical thought and self-reflection and it helps you fogure out what you want from life and what you truly enjoy. Otherwise you're just keeping the train going withour ever standing still, and then you look back with regret. I think that's what hapoened to a lot of people during the lockdown. They never stood still, and when they did, they realized they didn't like where they were at.

by far, one of my favourite video you’ve ever made.

I've been watching your content for a few years, many topics resonated with me, but this one is truly special. I am also on the path of learning to be truly alone. Not so long ago I moved to Paris for a job, got no friends here, I know almost no one around. And yeah, as a cherry on top of the pie - I don't really speak the language. Sometimes the reality of being alone out here hits me, despite having so many different people surrounding me. Nonetheless, I still see this as an opportunity to get comfortable truly being by myself, so when the time comes, I'll be able to fully enjoy spending time with others as well. Bon courage to anyone who's following a similar path. And thanks for your work, Nathaniel. Keep it up.

beautiful. wherever i go, there i am. the way you repeat it, 3 times, each time with a slight change in tone… i can’t explain how much this video hits home for me. thank you, Nathaniel

I really love your films, the direction, cinematography, editing, and aesthetic is amazing. I love them regardless of the content, but that is always so poignant and profound as well. So thank you for your work and your passion.

Nathan, this video was something that I really really needed to hear, and maybe I was sort of starting to figure this out, but hearing it in such a clear way, without fear or anxiety is very relieving. I am just recovering from an intense stress episode that was very difficult for me, and really, it is just beautiful to hear that we are changing creatures, that we can outlive storms no matter how dark or intense they seem, and that we can take baby steps and observe ourselves out of many of the troubling mental states we distract ourselves into. Sincerely, thank you for this

I just want to say that I genuinely smiled the whole video through. Thank you for making me feel understood Nat ❤

I've been following your journey for at least 6 years now. I think this video is possibly the one that hits home the most. I have some thinking to do and some observations to make. Thank you Nathaniel

This was beautifully written and shot. Orange looks good on you.

Man! It's a always a pleasure watching someone enjoying our country, Greece! 🇬🇷

Thank you ❤ I needed it today. It's consciousness being present in your life, being your authentic self. Evolution it's part of the journey, even if it's hard sometimes. I'm trying to be my highest version of myself, improving everyday in almost every aspect of my life. Thanks Nathaniel for sharing this.

i resonate so much with what you said was "the fear of missing out on experience and connections with people, important moments with those people", Nathan. but as you did, i eventually came to the realization that when i act based on such fears-instead of genuineness-the experience and connection that came out of it often feels... forced, inauthentic, or as if it feels like it's never enough. only after i let go of these fears (i.e. loosen up the exhausted ties of attachment I've had with my loved ones) and be fully comfortable with being on my own; only then i was able to cultivate life experiences and human connections in an... organic, authentic, genuine way. the entire process had been hard, heartbreaking, a horror; but we grow so much coming out of it. great content as always, Nathan!

Beautiful, it is remarkable that art like this can be shared and impact so many around the world. Thank you

“I am not a victim of my fears”…or in my case, I am trying not to. I am much older than you Nathan and yet I am learning so much from you. This is very humbling. Merci beaucoup!

Oh boy! Missed this videos! This is the kind of video (albeit with a lot more quality, yes) that changed my life for the good and for good around 5 years ago. Thank you, Nathaniel! You are sincerely one of the most special people in my life. You don't know where you rescued me from back then (and still keep doing it now!).

Thank you for this brother. It comes at the perfect time. I've been watching your content since 2018 and growing with you, taking steps back at times. I appreciate your presence on this Earth and the content you share. Cheers

Thank you! I've been reflecting on "alonness" for sometime. I'm convinced it's a craft - being genuinely alone and learning how to source power, wisdom, patience from it. It is hard for me as I live in a fast paced city and actually love it :) taking my time to craft such wise and kind silence inside. Thank you. I think I will watch this video again soon. 😊

My alone feels so good, I'll only have you if you're sweeter than my solitude. couldn't said it better. And it's exactly how I feel. It's 7 years now. In my words: I'll be with you if it's better than being with me.

I live alone but there's a time I just wanna be alone and there's a time I wanna spend my time with people that I love

Thank you! This is my reality and learning to be ok with the process while alone, doing things that I love more and off my phone. Love your way of telling stories, amazing cinematography brother.

My goodness! This is a visual and storytelling masterpiece, Nathaniel! You have done a fantastic job in bringing the audience into your world. Can’t wait for the next one!

THANK YOU, Nathaniel very precisely put with your beautiful honesty. I love you & even though alone with my cat most of the time in recent years, I do not feel lonely because of your videos. Nothing is permanent & soon we can all return to socialising properly but perhaps choose healthier alone time 💜

absolutely gorgeous shots and colors! and the message is on point as always. bravo and thank you :)

Thanks. I was watching videos entitled The art of being alone and then you came to my mind and found this video. It’s soothing in a way. I hope that all of you feel comfortable in your on you own skins and never escape from yourselves.

It's incredible how you love making these types of videos ❤ with you, I started to learn English, and understanding your message makes me fell happy, Thanks Nathaniel.

It took me a month to see this one … and it’s very relevant to my struggle with being alone since my husband passed away. We loved being together and were best friends. Now living the extreme opposite experience, the mind talk and judgement that narrates the loneliness I am now seeing might be the worst part - thank you for that awareness. William Shakespeare may have said it first in Hamlet: “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so”. Very meaningful video Nathaniel 🙏🏽

I love being on my own. Some people need others. They cant stand being alone. I live my own space. I do what i like when i like.

This resonates with me so much! I’ve been solo traveling for a month now and have been feeling and experiencing similar things. Loved your storytelling 🥰

I just discovered your work and I am inspired! The storytelling is exceptional and the message powerful. Thanks for sharing speaking on such a vulnerable (and relatable) topic.

Beautifully done. Didn’t watch because I feel lonely, just watched because I love the cinematic quality of your vids. As for being alone - I’d never done so until I was 33! And once I finally had my own apartment, I never felt alone for the 7 years I lived by myself there. I was surprised. Now I realize I’m perfectly fine alone. Yes, I enjoy time with others but I love time spent doing what I want, when I want.

Beautifully done. It was an absolute joy to watch you making art like this and putting yourself out there. Thank you for sharing this with the world 🙏🏼✨

I loved this. It really touched me as I felt like I was recently running away from myself. I will definitely be taking the advice offered in this video to better my own life.

the cinematography just keeps getting better and better, your almost at wes anderson levels of quality now! incredible work.

Truly beautiful. I'm definitely guilty of making do with low quality interactions because of the fear of being alone and therefore being lonely. But in a way ended up feeling more lonely surrounded by people and not getting what I needed from the relationships. Great vid man.

You have miraculously described introversion. It's home within and it's the greatest learning experience ever. Bravo!!

This truly is beautiful Nathaniel. The key takeaway here that resonated with me a lot was how being alone has helped me be a better person for others, to connect with them, feel present and provide a genuine listening ear that is a rarity in this world. Only from knowing myself, my strengths and faults have I been able to do this. Being content alone is not to be lonely but to be deeply connected with the most important person you could ever know - yourself✨ Thank you for sharing☺️

Man, you're probably one of my biggest inspirations nowadays, and believe me I don't say that lightly. As someone who wanted to study cinema, but couldn't because of personal situations, I realized that the filmmaking world was probably not the right place for me. I felt lost. Recently, I've been (re)discovering your videos and others by some RU-vidrs I also really admire, and I realized that the reason why I've always loved cinema (its ability to really touch a chord in me, give me ideas, and inspire me to do better) could actually be done in a more personal, entrepreneurial way. The way your content has evolved through the years is incredible, and I love how in the past few years your content has become more personal, artistic, and even poetic. It's honestly so much like I would someday want to do. Like what I always wanted to do. So thanks man, for being such an inspiration. For making your own voice in this platform and showing that anyone with something to say can actually say it and reach tons of people. Thanks :')

I have been watching you for so many years now and the content you create just continues to get better and better ❤

“I’m discovering that I don’t have to dislike that person that I see looking back at me” THAT HIT ME DEEP….

I absolutely LOVE how you express yourself Nathaniel!!! Thank you for creating ☀️

Nathaniel this video came to me at right time. It was blissful experience to watch it and to listen to your voice. I love the cinematography also. It is simply a masterpiece and I will watch this one maaaaany times, that’s for sure.

Being alone without a phone is sadly foreign. I’d love to experience life primarily without it. I have 6 acres of property, garden, animals, children, sourdough.. lol, and a husband. But… I’m still trapped in my phone throughout the day. It’s maddening.

The most beautiful and thought provoking video I have watched in a while. Please please never stop making these! Love from India♥️

These videos feel like the best therapy, and I’m here for it.

I'm graduating in a few weeks and will be moving my whole life to a new city with job being remote. I know it's the perfect opportunity to find and reinvent myself in my young 20's and beyond. Needed this video as a signpost for how to take in this time and make the most of it.

Nathaniel, this video was so much needed for someone like me. This video was magical with an important message, thank you for your work

Hi Nathaniel, feels like you're describing the journey that I'm in the last year. I found much more peace within myself while spending more time alone! thanks for sharing your story.

"...when I am interacting with or reacting to people, there is no space within me to notice or process how I feel. I have to be alone to do that." This is exactly how I've always felt when I am with people. Even during moments when I am genuinely enjoying the company with someone else, I cannot appreciate it fully unless I am on my own and reflecting on the memory. It feels validating to know I am not alone in feeling this way.

I love having ME time, it helps me be more present around people. As always, awesome editing and storytelling ✨

This is one of the most beautiful videos on RU-vid. Much love & respect ✌🏻

I really needed this video. I just ended a damaging engagement and this resignation with me, wholeheartedly. Being unafraid to be alone can teach you true self-love, peace and boundaries. “My alone feels so good, I’ll only have you if you’re sweeter than my solitude.”

YOU ARE SO GOOD at this!

thanks man i needed this story

Nathaniel, it is always a delight to watch your videos. What a masterpiece, visually and poetically.

I relate to this video on a very deep, intimate level

The vibe and the atmosphere of it is just great. Sitting there, listening to the great thoughts you had. Always love it :]

I still think life is better with the right people

I love your content mate . Literally unique . Thank you.

Such a great video! Really love the Nathaniel 4.0 path :) And can't wait for all that is to come.

It's very interesting, you're the last person I would think that is running from who they are, love the IMAX 70mm feel to your new videos!

My Mother always said -' One person you'll have to live with the rest of your life is yourself'! ☝️

Beautiful work, so honest and real. And the colors are delightful 🧡

Excellent video you did! Very insightful. It is important to be in peace first with yourself to be good in company.