Spending time alone may be uncomfortable at first but it's an important part of understanding yourself. When you're alone, you get to be unapologetically selfish with your time and discover your personal preferences. Also,the self-awarenessgained from spending time alone can help you feel happier, healthier, and improve your relationships.
Alone time is a gift. But, if you rarely get any, you may struggle to entertain yourself. So, we’ve compiled this list of activities to give you some ideas. Here are some fun, interesting, or helpful activities to do by yourself.
33 Things To Do By Yourself
1.Travel By Yourself
Traveling is one of those things to do by yourself that'll teach you a lot about yourself For the skittish, traveling by yourself doesn’t have to mean jetting across the world. You can travel to a neighboring city or state and still learn so much about yourself. What do you love to do? Given the ability to design your itinerary how would you fill it?
Traveling by yourself doesn’t mean a trip spent alone. One of the best birthday gifts I gave myself was a week-long solo vacation in the Dominican Republic. I met so many people that I likely wouldn't have if I’d traveled there with a group or significant other. I may have traveled there alone, but I made life-long friendships with people from all over the world.
Hollywood has made major dough from art imitating life and the “solo journey.” For decades, evergreen films like Eat, Pray, Love (2010), Tracks (2014) and The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (2013) have inspired movie-goers to take a trip of their own to find themselves.
2.Explore Your Hobbies
In your quiet time, take the opportunity to explore your favorite hobbies. If you have no idea what your hobbies are, try learning a new language, playing an instrument, or making a genealogy tree. If none of those activities sound fun then try collecting stuff, starting a diary or journal, volunteering, or practicing photography.
3.Treat Yourself
Make every day can be a "treat yourself" day, especially when you’re looking for things to do by yourself. If your budget permits, break out that credit card and buy yourself something nice. Go get your hair and nails done. Plan an extravagant evening by yourself. Sit down at a cozy bar, order a few drinks then treat yourself to a juicy steak or seafood at a fancy restaurant. Schedule a spa day complete with massage and skin treatments. Anything you’ve held off doing for yourself, do it.
4.Create a Bucket List
Draft up a heftybucket listor find your current bucket list and start tackling it. There are so activities to try to do and so little time.
Make a bucket list of all those missed opportunities and start fulfilling them one by one. One trick to make sure you put effort into your bucket list is to publicize it. Tell friends and family all the things you want to accomplish for the year or season and they will help hold you accountable.
5.Go to the Movies Like Han…. Solo
Moviegoing may traditionally be a social event but that doesn't mean it has to be. Want to watch that new rom-com when everyone’s pining for the next superhero movie? Go see it alone and you’ll be surprised by how much you don’t miss having others with you.
6.Be Weird
Everybody is weird. And, we’re even weirder when we’re alone. Even extroverts need some alone time to decompress. Got a horrible singing voice but love singing in the shower? Go for it. Do you like to eat sardines and exfoliate your face while watching Youtube videos of cats knocking things off of tables? Do. it.
7.Become a Pro DIYer
Tired of freaking out every time your car makes a weird noise? Have you washed so much hair down your shower drain that you have a plumber on speed dial? Study DIY fixes to master some of these day to day issues. It can feel empowering to know that you can rely on yourself to get stuff done. The late President John F. Kennedy even mentioned once in an interview that he grew up watching his mother fixing things around the house, not his dad.
8.Take a Walk With No Destination
Trust me on this one. Going for long walks is one of the best things to do by yourself. Walk around areas of the city where you’ve never been. Or take a hike up a nearby trail. Sometimes having no goals is the best way to relax all you need to do is breath the fresh air and experience. Hell, if you walk too far you can just call an Uber to take you home. It’s okay, no one is judging.
9.Experiment in the Kitchen
I adore cooking but I never do because I’m convinced I don’t have time. In reality, the moments when I’m alone are great times to try quick recipes and see if they end up tasting like poison or not. Cooking makes the list of great things to do by yourself because the reward is pigging out, oh and honing your skill. Also, if you’re a thrifty grocery shopper you can save a ton of money by cooking for yourself more often than eating out.
10. Talk to Yourself
Do you know who’s the best person for you to talk to about life? You. Do you know who has the best advice for you? You. Make friends with yourself and spend precious moments alone sharing your thoughts out loud. Talk yourself through the questions you have.
11. Binge Watch That Show
Make binge-watching that tv show your priority when you’re all by yourself, especially if you’re the only fan of the show in your household. Sit and enjoy your show without interruption on judging eyes. So what if you love cheesy-predictable rom-coms? You deserve to live.
12. Take a Long Drive
Similar to taking a walk alone, there’s such a draw to hopping in the car and having no place to be. You’ll discover new areas, parks, and cafes while listening to your well-curated playlist. Plus, a lot of good thinking happens during a drive.
13. Watch the Sun Rise and Set
We all know sunrise and sunsets can be a wonderful view from indoors. But have you ever tried gazing at them in nature? The transitions of light, the sounds, and the smells all make for a relaxing experience. What an amazing moment to give yourself.
14. Just Relax
One of the hardest things for ambitious people to do is...nothing. The trick is totreat relaxing like it's a hobbyrather than an unproductive waste of time.
Don’t invite anyone over the weekend; just sit in your pajamas, order a pizza and do whatever you want all day long. You’ll be surprised how good you feel the next day without stepping even one foot outside.
15.Stimulate Your Mind
Solve a Rubik’s Cube, do a crossword or a sudoku puzzle, start playing chess, or put together a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle. As long as it’s an activity that's mentally stimulating and satisfying, do it.
16. Unplug and Unwire Yourself
Shut down your cellphone. Ignore your email. Silence all notifications. Enjoy feeling disconnected.
17. Put on a Show
I’m open to performing any Cher song for the amusement of my pets or couch pillows. I’m also open to acting out any scene for the amusement of my kitchen appliances. So what? I’m alone. I can do what I want and I want my spotlight. Queue up your playlist.
18. Play With Your Pets
You want alone time and your pets want alone time - with you.Take them on walks by yourself, play with them andcuddle them tightly. Teach them tricks and laugh when they just stare at you moronically.
When I get really busy I feel guilty about how little time I get to spend with them. So, in my alone time, giving them my undivided attention just creates one big love fest and reinforces our bond.
19. Compliment Yourself
Positive affirmations can be really helpful if you're going through a rough patch. What better thing to do by yourself than read about how amazing you are as a human being? Affirmations help you support your mood so feel free to overindulge.
20. Get Your Finances in Order
This activity may not sound like the most exciting of things to do by yourself, but it can certainly be the most relieving. Also, if you’re private about money, the best time for you to sit down and dive into your bank balance may be when you’re alone. Spend time organizing our finances and strategizing. Understanding your financials feels refreshing.
21. Take Care of Your Body and Mind
Your mind, spirit, and body are here to support you. Start taking care of them by exercising. You may consider practicing yoga or just going for a jog. Or, you can clear your mind through practicing meditation.
22. Learn New Things
Have you ever been so intrigued by a topic that you went down a rabbit hole? Learning never has to stop. You might consider earning a new certification or an advanced degree.
23. Read
Books can take you to places you’ve never been to. Getting lost in the pages of a good book is a terrific way to relax and nourish your mind. If you’re anything like me, you might let life get in the way of your imagination a bit too often. When exploring things to do by yourself never forget that reading is an excellent option.
24. Write Thank You Notes
Write letters to family and friends. Expressing appreciation can be incredibly therapeutic. It can instantly focus you on feel-good positive thoughts and it can also bring you closer to the people you care about. You don’t even need to send the notes. The mere act of writing them is enough to feel amazing and improve your relationships.
25. People Watch
This one may be one of my most favorite things to do by myself. It’s never judgmental, just interesting. There’s so much variety in people and when you observe others for a little while you come to understand that quite quickly. You’ll see hopeful faces, determined body language, cute couples, kids driving their parents crazy, the list goes on. You’ll feel more connected and a part of humanity in a present way as opposed to just digitally.
26. Take Yourself on a Date
Another favorite of mine is grabbing my kindle reader, heading to a good restaurant, grabbing a table in the corner and just chillin’. When I’m eating by myself I can order whatever appetizer I want without compromise. I can take my time and focus on my book and meal, and I can leave whenever I’m ready. If you want to take yourself to dinner, pick the place you’ve been wanting to go that gets vetoed by others.
27.Get Organized
Are you a creature of habit that hoards clothes? Pour a glass of wine, sit on your closet floor and consider donating or repurposing some of your unworn clothes.
Cleaning out your closet is also a great activity to do by yourself because it can take an incredible amount of time. But, you get to rediscover what you have and even find old articles of clothing that you thought were lost forever.
28. Take a Long-Hot Bath
Let your fingers prune in a long-hot bath. When I do set aside time to take a calm bath rather than just showering I grab my iPad and queue a show to watch. I light my candles. I pour essential oils, bath bomb, and Epsom salt into the basin. I turn off the bathroom light but leave the hallway light on and I grab my exfoliants. When I reemerge my skin feels like a baby’s and I’m ready for bed.
29. Stargaze
Spend time just staring at the wondrous night sky. Whenever I take a moment to gaze at the sky. I admire the moon and stars. I feel instantly a part of something much bigger.
30. Rearrange Your Furniture
The easiest way to give your house a makeover is to rearrange your furniture. Try putting your bed against a different wall. Observe how that changes the feel of the room.
31. Express Your Creativity
Paint, draw, make pottery, or take photos. You don't have to be good at it as long as you're having fun.
32. Map Out Your Career
If you don't have a career plan in place, now is a good time to start. Where do you see yourself in the next five years? What about the next ten? What do you think it'll take to get there? Jot all of your answers down.
33. Play in Your Makeup
Thanks to HBO's "Euphoria,"interest in abstract makeup is at an all-time high. Search for good makeup tutorials on Youtube and try your hand at some of the latest avant-garde makeup looks.
