I am one of those people who enjoy both being with people but also being alone. I sometimes believe that this is a positive but also a negative. Sadly, I am one of those people whose mind goes against them at times, and my mind sometimes makes me think that people do not want me around, so I just silently disappear into the background. But now, I am trying to fix that part of me by romanticizing my time alone. Here are some things that I have done that have made me feel better about being alone.
Changing My Mindset About Being Alone
For me, being able to shift my perspective from “being alone” or “lonely” to “enjoying my own company” has helped me out quite a bit. I put on music, or I put on a TV show and that is when I enjoy my own company because I am able to party to the music or react out loud to a plot-twisting scene in the show. If I was with people, I may not be able to do that. I have also started believing that spending time alone may actually be a form of self-care. This has definitely helped me out when it comes to changing my mindset. When I am alone, I am able to reorganize things around me, mainly my dorm. I usually take at least one to two days and do a mini reset day for the dorm, and on Sundays, I usually have a reset day where I clean everything, I put things back into their places and I do what makes me feel better.
Curate the Perfect Atmosphere
This goes back to resetting my room. I usually put on some music, clean up, and relax. For me, being able to do that makes me feel better and it helps me not think of things that have been on my mind. There are times when I sometimes think about rearranging my dorm, but I realize that 1) I like the way I have it set up and 2) the furniture is not at all easy to move on one’s own…so rearranging is usually out of the question, but thinking if the decorations in my room are where I like them, now that is different. There have been times when I wanted to move some of my decorations, but I realized that I would move most of it to one side of my room and leave my other walls bare. I also make a drink as well. Usually, I will make an iced coffee and other times, I would have one or two bottles of Dr. Pepper as I relax. But I find that being able to create a really good atmosphere helps me enjoy being alone. Yes, I sometimes feel like I have wasted my day, but at the same time, I felt like I was productive in my own way.
Try Solo Dates & Hobbies
I have heard that taking solo dates is a really good way to enjoy and romanticize being alone, but I have yet to try this out, so I cannot really write about it. But hobbies. I got you. Being alone and working on my hobbies definitely helps me. For those who do not know, I crochet as a hobby, and when I crochet, I usually lose track of time, and I am able to be in a place of calmness. Another thing I sometimes do is yoga or take walks. Usually, I do yoga when I feel like I need to stretch my body, and I take walks with friends during the warmer weather. Unless I am at Mt. Irenaeus. Not this weekend, but the previous weekend, I went to the mountain for the entire weekend, and on Saturday, a few friends and I went on a scenic walk through the woods. With my asthma, I could not go as far as I had wished, but luckily, those who I was with understood. I turned around to make my way back to the main house when I was able to hear the different sounds of the woods. I heard different birds singing, I heard the wind, and I heard the trees creak and saw them sway with the wind. That is what I enjoy about taking walks like that. Being able to listen to nature and being able to hear the different sounds it makes.
Journal & Reflect on Your Thoughts
I have tried journaling before, and there are times when I am into it and then there are times when I am not so into it. I have found that getting one of those gratitude journals has helped me journal almost every day. For those who do not know what a gratitude journal or journaling is, it is basically when you write down what you are grateful for. So some questions and prompts could be like: what made you smile today? Name three things you are thankful for. List all the awesome things your body is capable of. These are only a few questions and prompts that are part of gratitude journals or journaling. Personally, I love the gratitude journal that I have, and I feel like it has helped me put my mind in a healthy place and it helps me, once again, enjoy being alone because I am able to journal and write down my thoughts and how I am feeling.
These are some of the things that I have found that have helped me romanticize being alone. Although I enjoy being alone at times, I also enjoy being with people. I just cannot be around people for so long or I will feel drained.