How do you find what you need to be happy within yourself, instead of seeking happiness in relationships?

These suggestions may help...

1. Respect Yourself: If I don't love and respect myself, who will? It all starts right here with ME. If I think that I'm a pretty good person, it doesn't much matter what anyone else thinks. And the irony is that once I like myself, most everyone else will like me too. People enjoy being around people who speak well of themselves - not in an arrogant boastful way, but with honest self-appreciation.

2. Forgive Everyone for Everything: Angry and happy don't mix. Flush out the angry, and the happy has a place to put down roots. Until we forgive everyone for everything, we hold on to anger and resentment. Once we forgive, we can become happy. Forgiving is not a gift to someone else - Forgiving is our gift to ourselves - a great gift - the gift of happiness.

3. Be Grateful for All of Life: Each of us has been infinitely blessed - beginning with the gift of life. Whatever may appear to be missing or broken on any particular day, our glass is not half full, it is 99.9% full. More practically, when we feel ungrateful, we become unhappy. When we choose to feel and express our gratitude, the act of feeling and speaking our thanks creates a happiness within us. The more we express our gratitude, the more we have for which to be grateful. Today and every day, take time to celebrate life - whether an hour's meditation in a quiet natural space, or a brief moment's conscious pause to breathe deeply and celebrate gratitude for life.

4. Choose Happiness: Everything in life is a choice. There is never anything we ever "need" to do. Every action and thought is a choice and has consequences - pleasant or unpleasant. Whether you go to work today, change jobs, smile at the bank teller, yell at your kids, complain about life, hold a daily celebration of gratitude for life - they are all choices. Happiness is a choice. Stay alert and make conscious choices for happiness.

5. Begin at the End: You can never reach your destination if you don't have a destination. Decide what accomplishments you want recorded on your tombstone. Take a whole quiet day to consider your life. Be very clear that your happiness does NOT depend on reaching your goal. In fact, it's the reverse. Your happiness depends on accepting whatever life throws at you while you walk the path toward your goal. What is important for your happiness is having a goal, and working toward it.

6. Start Today: Whatever you want in life, start today. Not tomorrow - today. Let it be a small beginning - a tiny beginning. Your happiness depends on starting today - every day.

7. Accept that Life is NOT "Supposed to be Fair": Know that there is no single way that life is "supposed" to be. Demanding that life meet our expectations is a sure fire recipe for a miserable existence. Life is a game with no rules. Life just happens to us regardless of our best intentions. Our only path to happiness lies in being open to receiving whatever life throws at us - with Gratitude. Have NO Expectations of life.

It's pretty easy for me because people mostly suck. I guess I am somewhat anti-socual because everyone is so fake. It makes me sick. Save myself the drama of "getting to know all about you" stuff. Sometimes, I think it would be better if America just cut off a hand on a convicted creep to save me the time of it all... Occasionally, I am pleasantly surprised. But not very often. So, I have resolved myself to the fact I don't really need any new friends.

I am most happy when I am helping the elderly I know really needs the help. That has it's pitfalls. And I have been hurt many times doing it. But we are not to grow weary while doing good, so after I pick myself up, I wait for another opportunity when it presents. Until then, I have a new little rescue dog that I nursed through a gnarly surgery and am focused on getting her to the best possible girl she can be. I hope I will have at least 6 months with her before she passes, but I don't really know. At least I know whatever time I had with her, short as it might be, was equal to a lifetime of love. At some point, when I am strong enough, emotionally, I am going to get involved with children. We'll see.

Between the lines, your question seems to be screaming -"What is the Meaning of Life!". Most Atheists are Atheist because they reject the "absolutes" of the various dogma offered for consideration by other religions. Therefore, you might accept that the Meaning of Life is open to some degree of Relativism. Id Est - Whatever you find yourself caring about - That's "It" !

All the other answers are very good and help define the subject. When your curiosity sees things of interest, immediately open a channel that will allow you to learn more about them. It might be a telephone number or internet address or a book title or a person's name or anything you can make a note about to come back to when you have some time alone. In time, a few things will become your pet projects and will satisfy your craving for attention as you satisfy theirs.

Happiness is very timid. If you chase it with a net, it will vanish. If you give up on looking for it, it will appear on your shoulder whispering in your ear. Loneliness will chase you down if you run from it; but if you stop to embrace it, it will find that it can no longer be loneliness and leave you in peace. .

Honestly, the only way I've come to find happiness in being alone is meditation. I'm a Christian and most people don't think you can meditate without being a religion like Hindu or something. This isn't true. What I meditate on is God and how faithful he is. I'm not trying to be preachy or anything, but God IS how I stay happy. I was exactly in your position and for a while I toyed with the idea of atheism, but in the end, the empty feeling I felt every time I was alone could only be filled by God.

You are using people to validate your existence. Everyone does this to some extent, but you have a problem when you NEED that constant "fix" you get for the attention of others. You "love yourself," and that's good. It's a place to start. Now you need to begin working to become one of your best friends. Learn to talk with yourself about things -- fun things as well as deeper, personal things. Learn to have fun playing head games with yourself. Laugh a lot and cry a little bit, too. Look in the mirror ... that is your closest and most trusted friend. Build a relationship.

Remember that it does not have to be either/or. Spending a day alone can mean a chance to read, play on the computer, soak in a tub, work on hobbies, whatever you like. People who are very caught up in social activities sometimes forget how to appreciate time alone.

I recommend developing a hobby. Do you have any remnants of one from childhood? Are there crafts or collections that have ever interested you "if you had the time"? Is there an artist or musician hiding inside you?

First of all you need to cut down a little bit of your friends company...for example don't keep calling them With for them to call ...if you want to be happy alone.

2.I do love myself somewhat, if not completely..

If you love your self Truly you wouldn't feel bothered or irritable when you are alone,which is related to your low self esteem.or that you don't find your self interesting more than your friends .

people who loves them selves are just quit happy being alone.

so you need to LOVE YOUR SELF from within & not lie to your self .

3.at the end of the day people are just people that can bring you happiness with their sincerity or whatever but maybe not the kind of happiness that you are seeking for

so be honest with your self start with one week .....& the rest will follow ....

some people use social networking just to run away from themselves because deep down they feel insecure & bored & cant stand being alone

PS : you can never feel alone if you like the person that you are alone with.

you may love yourself , but do you like yourself? Like the hobbies you have? cooking ,watching movies,playing music,singing karaoke,traveling,fishing, camping,riding motorcycles, exercising , ETC...

Are you complete? in a relationship, dating, Job, ETC.....

Close to Family? brother , sister, mom,dad,cousins ,ETC.....

If you can say you enjoy life and your a well rounded person. whats the trouble bubble. Your doing just fine and you are a natural socialite. Maybe , the people enjoy your company as much as you enjoy theirs.

the exhaution is your spread to thin . Losen the grip some, enjoy the quite, or as they say ,stop to smell the roses.

independence. not having to rely on any one else for anything brings satisfaction and happiness to me.

*sticks up middle finger* Sit and spin.