How can solo dates become your top self-love and self-care ritual?

Do you live alone, separated from friends and family? In a distant city far from home?
Do you ever feel like you’re missing out on people, or that they’re too preoccupied with their own lives to join you in your favorite activity? Alternatively, you may be on a budget crunch and want to spend some quality time alone to gain new experiences.
Then, my friend, you’ve made a wise choice by visiting this blog. You are no longer alone in this!

I recently went on a solo date, and here are the benefits I received, which you can enjoy as well.

Brownie point: You can see a sneak peek of my solo date- a self-love regime at the bottom of the blog.

(1) Provide a new sense of liberty and freedom

Have you ever felt like compromising on your favorite food, movie, or even location because the people you’re hanging out with don’t want to do exactly what you’re craving at that moment? I’m not saying you should stop thinking about others and become selfish, but doing so on a regular basis can cause you to lose the voice of your own soul somewhere else. Being self-sufficient allows you to discover what it is that you truly enjoy.

Even for committed people, I believe it is important to go on solo dates. As Jay Shetty correctly stated in his book 8 Rules of Love,

“Our culture often encourages us to put the responsibility to unpack our feelings on someone else. We expect them to understand our emotions even if we don’t.”

(2) Enhances creativity

In her book, ‘The Artist’s Way’, Julia Cameron introduces the concept of ‘Artist date’, which is a block of time that is specially set aside and committed to nurturing our own creative self, to meet our inner artist.

She describes it this way,

“In order to have a real relationship with our creativity, we must take time and care to cultivate it. Our creativity will use this time to confront us, to confide in us, to bond with us, and to plan.”

(3) A means of recharging ourselves

All work and no play can lead to boredom and frustration. In the long run, this can build up in us, reducing our effectiveness at work and eventually leaving us to lament our failures.
Solo dates allow us to talk to ourselves, break the routine, tune out the noises of our surroundings, and actually find answers to our questions, making us stand out at work as well.

As a very famous saying by Abraham Lincoln goes like this,

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Put time for solo dates on your calendar to sharpen your axe.”

(4) Boosts confidence and makes us bold

Going on a solo date is a daring move in and of itself. You get to travel by yourself. You make your own decisions about where and how to spend your money, as well as how to manage your expenses. It eliminates the worry about what other people may think of you and your choices. All of this helps you understand your true likes and dislikes. This is because solo dates allow you to focus solely on what you enjoy doing thoroughly.

Quoting down the simple yet wise words by Charles Bukowski,

“Travelling alone makes it easier to be yourself.”

(5) Make new friends

Surprisingly, being alone can sometimes open doors to meet and connect with other people who share your interests. It’s more difficult to meet new people when you’re with friends because you’re focused on them. When you are alone, you are more likely to engage in conversation with others.

“There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t met yet.” – William Butler

Finally, I’d like to share one of my Solo Date experiences.

So I went on a movie date with my little backpack on a wintery Sunday morning. I reserved a ticket for myself a day in advance so that I could combat lethargy right away. The next morning, I booked an auto to a PVR near me. The movie was fantastic, but not as much as my overall experience of a solo date.
After seeing a movie, I gifted myself a cute little flower pot to remind me of the importance of self-love and care. You can also give yourself such a gift. I ate a chocolate and returned home. I made a healthy lunch for myself (I adore home-cooked meals). And that was the end of it. Simple, lovely, and enjoyable!