I’m 36, and while my love life has been varied and interesting, over the last few years I’ve started to want to settle down. I know it doesn’t happen overnight. But recently it’s been weighing on me more and more. I reminisce about past relationships. I feel hopeless about meeting someone in the future who shares my values.
On the one hand you hear things like “happiness comes from within”, but on the other we are social animals and 99% of us want to feel loved and to love.
This is great advice to anyone reading and relates to OP here. Only modification I would add is rather than sitting idly, I used to hit the gym and/or run around a track with sound canceling headphones and no music or audio of any form, and simply marinated in my thoughts and self-reflection, while compartmentalising the physical pain and exhaustion as a way to physically improve myself while doing the same mentally. It was a good method of meditation.
Personally, the gym is not good place to process things for me. Running works much better, especially without music.
Gym is great for self esteem though and the feeling of working on yourself. It definitely has a positive impact.