Enjoy Your Own Company: 18 Ways to be Alone and Happy

“Learn to enjoy your own company. You are the one person you can count on living with for the rest of your life.” Ann Richards

Hey, guys! We’re doing it a little different on this post. We actually have a guest post to talk about how you can enjoy your own company. Anita Chastain runs a self-improvement and personal growth blog at SimpleLife365. Some more information on Anita is posted at the end of this article! But, for now…

How to Enjoy Your Own Company

When it comes right down to it, we are our own best friend and partner for life. But we don’t always treat ourselves that way.

In our fast-paced and over-scheduled lives, we sometimes neglect to take the time to disconnect and get in touch with our thoughts. We can learn a lot about ourselves when we learn to enjoy our own company.

Sometimes, too, we may believe we have to have a partner in life to be happy. But the reality is that you don’t have to be in a relationship to feel loved and enjoy life. Learning how to spend time alone – and enjoy it – is healthy.

And, there’s this too:

Consider spending time alone as a gift to yourself. One that you can enjoy now and for the rest of your life.

Next, let’s look at how to start enjoying the time you spend by yourself.

How to Start Enjoying Your Own Company

While there are a lot of different ways to spend time alone, many of the things you can do fall into four main categories:

Being creative.

Being creative is a really great way to express yourself and to relieve stress. It doesn’t matter what you create. The key thing is to relax and have fun. The enjoyment you get is far more important than what you create. So, write, draw, knit, or whatever! Just have fun being creative.

Doing nothing.

Sometimes the best gift you can give yourself is the freedom to do nothing. When you’re not busy doing, you have time to just be. Doing nothing also helps you reconnect with your authentic self – the person you believe you really are – because other thoughts aren’t competing for your attention.

Pursuing goals.

Sometimes in the rush of day-to-day life, you stop working on your goal. If you can relate, consider this: Many people find that spending time alone frees up the time and energy they need to refocus on achieving their goals.

Engaging in self-care.

Self-care refers to the things you do to take care of your emotional and physical health. Self-care isn’t selfish, it’s an act of self-love and important to your well-being. Taking care of yourself emotionally and physically are two of your most important personal responsibilities. Alone time is perfect for self-care.

Now that you’ve got an idea of some of the ways you can start enjoying your own company, let’s dig a little deeper into things you can do when you’re on your own.

18 Things You Can Do to Enjoy Your Own Company

There’s no reason to be bored or unhappy when you’re by yourself. Here are 18 things you can do to enjoy spending time alone:

Create fun mini-challenges to complete.

For example, challenge yourself to finish a half-read book or create a list of books you want to read. Or take an online class. The challenges you set are less important than the time you put into completing them, so have fun in the process.

2. Head to the park with earbuds and a playlist.

Never underestimate the power of spending time outside. A walk in the park and an uplifting playlist will lift your mood and make you feel better.

3. Listen to a podcast on a topic you can’t resist.

Here’s a list of the 62 best podcasts to listen to right now. Listening to a podcast is a really good way to occupy your thoughts and learn new things.

4. Read an article with interesting, random facts just for the fun of it.

Did you know that McDonald’s once created bubble-gum flavored broccoli for kids? I didn’t know that until I did a Google search for interesting facts. Read something random just for the fun of it.

5. Write a short autobiography about your life.

Spend time thinking about your past and present and write down your thoughts as you go. At the end of the process, you’ll have a record of your life for you and anyone you choose to share it with.

6. Eat dinner by candlelight.

Who says candlelight dinners have to be shared? They don’t. There is no dinner by candlelight rule, so pamper yourself. Relax and savor every bite in the soft glow of candlelight.

7. Create a morning routine that energizes you.

You know those days where everything seems to go well because you had a great morning? Make them happen again by adopting a morning routine. Figure out what it takes to start each day energized and prepared and create a routine based on those things.

8. Create an evening routine that relaxes you.

Figure out what’s not working, then change it. If you have trouble sleeping, create a routine to help you fall asleep. If your evenings are filled with ‘busy work’ figure out what you can stop doing, do differently, or do less often, so you can enjoy a relaxing evening.

9. Enjoy a social media detox.

If scrolling through your social media feed is leaving you feeling drained, discouraged, or disgusted, it’s time for a break. Whether your break is four hours or four days, commit to it, and enjoy the extra hours you have to do other things.

10. Clear the clutter out of your space.

There’s a reason why home improvement shows are clutter-free zones. Rooms look better without all that clutter. and what better time to declutter than when you have time to yourself.

11. Learn to cook if you’re a beginner or learn to cook something new if you’re not.

Even if you don’t like to cook, there’s something empowering in being able to make your own meals from scratch. Learn to cook and you’ll get to eat what you want, when you want it, without relying on takeout.

12. Strengthen your friendships by staying in touch with people you care about.

Maintaining relationships is a lot like watering plants. If you ignore plants, eventually they die. The same goes for friendships. Ignore them, and eventually, you’ll lose them.

13. Set goals for your career.

What professional goals would you like to achieve? What do you need to start doing now to achieve those goals? Answer those questions and you’ve taken the first steps in moving ahead with your career.

14. Set goals for personal growth and development.

What would you change to live a happier and more fulfilling life? Answer this question and you’ve taken the first step in creating the life you want.

15. Focus on the good around you, even if being alone wasn’t your choice.

Our feelings follow our focus. If I focus on the bad in a bad situation, I feel bad. If I focus on the good, even when the situation is bad, I feel better. Seeing the good in your life will help you enjoy your own company.

16. Don’t let your inner critic bully you when you’re by yourself.

Many people are much harder on themselves than they are on other people. Don’t let self-criticism make you feel bad about yourself. Speak to yourself with the same love and kindness you would give to other people.

17. Reach out to others when you’re feeling lonely.

Connecting with friends and family helps overcome feelings of loneliness. Speaking to other people, even strangers, helps you feel better. Chat with the grocery store clerk, call your best friend, text the friends you haven’t heard from in a while. Reach out and reap the reward of human connection.

18. Embrace your inner artist.

When we were kids, we drew pictures because it was fun. We didn’t think about whether we had any talent. We just had fun drawing. Adopt that same attitude today. Enjoy the self-expression, forget about the rest.

You Can Find Happiness When You Spend Time Alone

Make an effort to do things that help you learn to enjoy your own company. Being alone doesn’t have to make you unhappy. The key is to make time to do things that bring happiness and joy into your life.

Here’s the thing:

When you enjoy your own company, you can be happy with yourself and your life, regardless of your relationship status.

Here’s something else to think about:

Many people don’t like being alone. They believe they have to surround themselves with others to enjoy life. They’re not comfortable being alone.

While there’s definitely some truth to the idea that social connections make us happier, there’s another side to think about too. When you’re alone, you have an opportunity to learn more about yourself and what you want (and don’t want) in your life. You get to focus on your own growth and development and explore what matters to you.

While our connections with other people are really important, it’s also important to learn to love the time you spend in your own company. Look at it as an opportunity to get to know yourself better and do things that add value and meaning to your life.

How to Enjoy Your Own Company Summarized

Remember that “me time” is an important part of your life’s experience.

When you learn to enjoy your own company, you’ll experience more happiness and fulfillment in life, regardless of the people around you.

About Our Guest

Anita Chastain, MBA

Anita Chastain is a writer and the owner of SimpleLife365.com. She has a passion for writing, living your best life, and number crunching using Excel. When she’s not online, you’ll find her working in her garden or binge-watching the latest series on Netflix.

As always, if you need a sign to take care of yourself: this is it.

Learn how to enjoy your own company.

Become your own best friend.

Because as we all know:

you are the most vital character in your story!

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Peace out, girl scouts!

… and always aim to be the best self you can be.