Emily Flores
Do you think you need an entourage of besties to be cheerful? Think again! Flying solo is more fulfilling than dealing with flaky friends or toxic social circles. It’s time to embrace yourself as a sufficient company and the most enriching one. With an adjusted outlook and these 15 tips, you can thrive in solitude and be sure that true contentment requires no plus-one.
Embrace Alone Time
Instead of treating solitude as a burden, embrace it as an opportunity for growth. Use the freedom of being alone to become reacquainted with yourself. Revel in the lack of demands on your time and ability to move at your own pace. Discover new hobbies, read that book you’ve been putting off, or savor quiet moments of reflection.
Cultivate Self-Compassion
Make a point of treating yourself with the same kindness and understanding you’d show a close friend. Self-compassion means being attuned to your struggles without harsh self-judgment. When you have a rough day or make a mistake in solitude, respond with warmth and reassurance rather than criticism.
Keep a Gratitude Journal
Even during stretches of isolation, there’s always something to be thankful for — journaling about these bright spots cultivates positivity. Make a daily habit of noting things that bring you joy or relief, big or small. Experiencing gratitude has been proven to improve mood and outlook.
Explore New Hobbies
When social obligations aren’t monopolizing your time, you can finally indulge budding curiosities and interests. It could be anything from woodworking to learning calligraphy to analyzing the nuances of wrestling fandom. Let your unaccompanied hours be a chance for new experiences.
Learn a New Skill
Like hobbies, being alone gives you the mental strength and schedule to pick up enriching talents. Use those free evenings to learn a new language or instrument, or try the 15-step Korean skincare routine you’ve wanted to try. The absence of social noise allows you to dedicate your entire focus without distractions.
Take Yourself Out
You don’t need a group of friends to try new restaurants, visit museums, or attend concerts. Forget social obligations and take yourself out on solitary adventures and dates. Relish the freedom of thoroughly indulging your interests at your own pace. Once you become your preferred company, the world is your solo oyster.
Get Physical
Exercise is a powerful mood-boosting solo activity that stimulates mental and physical wellness. Find an engaging physical outlet suited to flying solo—running, swimming, or shamelessly dancing like nobody’s watching. The endorphin rushes, and overcoming the anxious thoughts makes physical activity a worthwhile “me time.”
Read Voraciously
When no one demands your attention, you can completely immerse yourself in literature. Use the freedom of solitude to hungrily consume books, magazines, or any reading material that allows you to sink into vivid alternate worlds. Distraction-free reading expands your perspectives and acts as a therapeutic escape.
Embrace Mundane Joys
Too often, the simple pleasures and minute details get drowned out by life’s more urgent distractions. Solitude is the right time to embrace mundane joys — savor the first sip of coffee, observe shapes in the clouds, or delight in completing menial tasks. By slowing down and appreciating easily overlooked moments, you unlock hidden delights in everyday experiences.
Go Out There and Volunteer
Contributing your time and efforts to causes greater than yourself cultivates an uplifting sense of purpose that transcends loneliness. This could be helping an animal shelter, tutoring youth, or serving meals at a food pantry. Overall, volunteering solo connects you to something bigger.
Meditate and Reflect
Use pockets of solitude for much-needed grounding and introspection. Meditation has proven benefits like reduced anxiety, improved focus, and greater self-awareness. Even starting with 5-10 minutes per day of guided meditation can steady your mind.
Travel Alone
Though nerve-wracking for some, solo travel enables you to exist entirely in the moment and at your own pace. You will become self-reliant as you navigate new cities and cultures on your terms. You’ll also create vibrant memories and stories that are uniquely yours.
Connect Virtually
You don’t have to be completely cut off from human connection when alone. Video-chatting with loved ones, joining an online interest community, or exchanging handwritten letters with an old-fashioned pen pal are great ways to interact without physical company. A balance of solitude and easy technological socializing is perfectly healthy.
Nurture Your Space
Take advantage of your solo living situation by cultivating a personal sanctuary that inspires and rejuvenates you. Decorate with thoughtful touches, cozy textiles, and items that have sentimental value rather than inheriting somebody else’s decor. Designing your environment to promote relaxation and creativity breeds confidence during alone time.
Foster a Positive Mindset
Ultimately, your attitude determines whether solitude feels like a burden or an opportunity. It takes patience, creative thinking, and belief in yourself, but finding contentment and personal growth in being alone is possible. Rather than focusing on what’s lacking, embrace solitude as a liberating period.
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