I had so much fun this week collaborating with my sweet friend, Kelli Calkin, to bring you our top 7 tips to enjoying alone time!
Kelli has her own blog called Kiss and Kell and YOU GUYS, IT IS STUNNING. SERIOUSLY, I CAN’T HANDLE IT. If you’re not already familiar with Kelli’s work, a 30 second glance at her blog will get you up to speed. She is confident, honest, and driven. Her personality radiates through every single one of her photos. I am fortunate to call her “friend”.
Here’s a glimpse into our journey of learning to love ourselves- for who we are, exactly as we are.
Whether you’re someone that puts alone time at the top of your to-do list or cringes at the thought of being by yourself, enjoying the quiet moments is essential to living a happy life. For some, this looks like listening to a podcast, online shopping, or painting your nails. For others, alone time consists of drinking wine and binge watching the latest Netflix Original. Whatever alone time looks like to you, there is no one right way to go about doing it.
Below are 7 tips on how to be alone and actually enjoy it!
1. Ease Into Alone Time.
Spending time alone can be an extrovert’s worst nightmare and an introvert’s dream come true. If you tend to lean toward the extrovert side of the scale, fear not, for alone time can feel daunting to many people. Start off slow and build your tolerance by finding peaceful activities that you actually enjoy doing. Eventually, longer periods of alone time won’t be so bad..you might even enjoy them.
2. Learn to Love Yourself.
There’s immense value in being comfortable by yourself. Inevitably, we will experience lonely seasons throughout the course of this life. If we can learn to feel comfortable in our own skin, we gain access to an overwhelming sense of freedom and confidence. Maybe you start by taking 30 minutes to read your favorite book or 20 minutes to make breakfast while jamming out to your favorite Beyonce song. These are all forms of self-love. The more we take time to fill ourselves up, the more we have to give out.
3. Make a Space that Feels like Home.
If I’m going to spend time by myself, I like to do so surrounded by my favorite things. When I hear the word “home”, I imagine my favorite rose & champagne scented candle, a fuzzy knitted blanket, quote cards hung around the room, and a stack of books by my bedside. When you walk into your home, you should see every happy thing that you own on display. Creating a space that you want to be in will aid in the efforts of enjoying the time you spend there.
4. Pamper Yourself.
This one is especially true for my ladies that currently struggle with the idea of alone time. In order to make spending time by yourself more appealing, incorporate all the things that you consider to be truly a treat. Light your favorite candle, buy a fancy bottle of champagne, put on the cucumber face mask– make yourself feel extra special. C’mon girlfriend, you deserve it.
5. Unplug.
Being with someone who is constantly checking their phone and ignoring you is the worst, so why would you do that to yourself? Even if it’s just for a short period, fully dedicate that time to yourself and put the phone down.
6. Find Your Mantra.
Every person needs one. It’s that phrase that you say over and over again when you need courage, when you need to be strong, when you need to be intentional. Spending time alone is the best way to discover the mantra you need. Spending time alone allows you to become more comfortable with your mind, body, and spirit. The better you know yourself, the easier it will become to find your mantra.
7. Make Your Perfect Playlist.
Plato said it best, “music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” Music has an ability to affect our mood that is second to none. It can make us feel joy, sadness, excitement, passion.. the list is endless. As mentioned earlier, make sure that whatever you are listening to is intentional. More often than not, it’s an opportunity to express the emotions that you’ve been feeling lately, which can be the therapeutic moment alone that your mind and body has been craving. Dance around the room, have a good cry, just let it happen and embrace the moment!