Learning to be at peace with being alone can take a while. Know you are not alone in this process, and slowly but surely, you will get there. Being able to prioritize yourself is a privilege, and if you’re in need of some ways to achieve this mindset, I’m here to share my journey.
- Stay Active
-
I have learned that staying active keeps me mentally and physically active and content. Taking time out of my day to work out maintains structure within my day and pushes me towards an end goal. My favorite activities to stay active are hot yoga, pilates classes, or simply walks around the neighborhood.
- adopt a new hobby
-
Finding new hobbies added something new to each day and made me excited to have something that I was able to put down and pick back up day after day. Finding new books or new activities filled up time and energy I had previously wasted rotting away on my phone. This also added a much-needed but subtle change I needed within myself, and my routine. Finding new hobbies pushed me to expand my horizons and pursue and explore new things that made me happy.
- surround yourself with people who add value to your life
-
Learning to prioritize your peace and only allow people who bring positivity into your life will make the most impactful change. Understanding that you are on your own course of life and that the people around you should be an addition to your journey has guided me in making very meaningful decisions regarding who I wanted to surround myself with. Surrounding myself with people with similar goals and pushing myself to be a better person changed my outlook on life.
- learn to do things alone that you enjoy
-
Learning to enjoy alone time can be weird, but rewarding. The thought of going to the movies alone or sitting alone at a restaurant terrified me, but the more I did it, the less weird it got. It started to feel relaxing, and at one point, I enjoyed it more than doing these activities with people. Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone can be difficult, but I promise the end result will be so rewarding.
- craft a future that’s exciting for you
-
Thinking about a future for just YOU, is intimidating but so exciting! We have so much time and opportunities on our hands, the future holds so much potential. Coming to terms with this fact should empower you :).
- practice self-care
-
Self-care looks different for everybody; but is something so essential to maintaining our mental and physical health. This can mean treating yourself to a massage, or simply just carving time out of your day to dedicate to yourself, even if it’s as easy as a ten-minute walk. Prioritizing things that make you feel happy is so important.
Accepting being alone should not be something that scares you; but rather an opportunity to learn about yourself and learn how to take care of yourself. Although this process looks different for everybody, these were some tactics I found helpful that you can hopefully learn something from!
Can’t get enough of HC UMass Amherst? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, listen to us on Spotify, like us on Facebook, and read our latest Tweets! Â