Why is it important to enjoy your own company?
How many times have you seen anyone randomly sitting alone in a restaurant and enjoying the meal?
If you do that, then your mental state is super happy. I firmly believe we all need to enjoy our own company. It allows us to find ourselves; we get time to prioritize and analyse our thoughts.
People often misunderstand the difference between being alone and being lonely. Being alone is the time when you find peace in your own company. In a more familiar term, we know it as ‘me time.’
You don’t have to be always surrounded by people. Sometimes we need to talk to ourselves, we need time to love ourselves, need to clear out the junk inside our brain.
Some might feel weird sitting all alone at home, binge-watching, or cooking a delicious dish only for yourself. But trust me, if you think otherwise and know the “ways to enjoy your own company,” you will understand how rejuvenating it is.
Nobody wants to stay alone. But a few hours of a week alone time could be fun and a brilliant way to ‘self-discovery’ because no one will be there to judge you.
So, you can understand why is it important to enjoy your own company.
Now, not everyone can enjoy being alone. Some think it is too foolish to do that, one can’t find happiness being alone.
In this blog post, we will discuss in how many ways you can attain happiness in being yourself. You don’t need anyone else to fulfill you.
Let’s jump on to some amazing ways on how to enjoy your own company.
25 Best Ways to Enjoy Your Own Company
Find a Hobby
Every person on this earth has some hobby that they love to do in their leisure time. It could be drawing, painting, cooking, swimming, playing any sports, photography, etc.
Some also hone their interest in a skill and make it their profession. Whereas some in their later years of life amidst the busy schedule lost touch with their ‘hobby.’
Engaging yourself in a hobby is a brilliant way to let yourself loose and enjoy a few hours a week.
Keep/ Maintain a Journal
Have you ever maintained or recorded your thoughts and feelings in a journal?
If you haven’t, you should try it.
I am an introvert person and not at all expressive; for years, I am writing my complex and unsaid thoughts into a journal. It helps me loosen up and feel free. Whenever I feel I am losing a grip over my feelings and thoughts, I jot down everything in the journal.
If you want to enjoy your own company, you can maintain a budget-friendly journal, won’t take all your day, and help you greatly in achieving your goals.
Keep a Goal
A person should always have an aim and a goal to move forward in their life. Without a goal, life becomes purposeless. But how can you utilize your ‘goal’ in enjoying yourself?
Every day, when you wake up, take some time off and rethink your goal or what you have in your mind. You can use your journal in noting down how and what you want to do that day which will bring you a little closer to your goal.
Planning and realizing that you are going on the right track will make you feel better.
Read a Book Daily
Everybody knows the benefits of reading a book daily. You don’t have to be bookish, and you can read any kind of book to your interest when you want some time off.
A good book can be your best friend and a great companion. It is always wise to invest in books. You can carry it with you everywhere and read.
If you are alone and don’t want to be bored, just grab your favourite book and start reading with a hot tea/coffee cup.
Listen to a Podcast
Podcast is a new thing that is grabbing attention across the globe. There are several podcasts platforms like IVM, Hubhopper that you can install on your phone and listen to.
You can easily find a podcast about your interest topic and engage yourself in a new learning thing. I love listening to podcasts; it is user-friendly, can perform multi-task while listening, gaining knowledge about things, and understanding other people’s perspectives too.
Meditation/Yoga
Indeed, physical fitness and mental peace have become key requirements of our life. Every morning an hour of meditation/yoga allows your mind and body to detox. It also helps to build balance in our body.
Even if you aren’t a yoga person and more enthusiastic about going to the gym, that can also be your enjoyment element to do something for yourself.
Go for Shopping
Hey! Who doesn’t like a whole day of wandering around from store to store and do shopping?
I have known many in my life who love to go to the malls alone and shop. Though I am not a big admirer of that as I feel this is unnecessary. But for some shopping gives immense pleasure and happiness.
Learn to cook something special
What’s your favorite food?
Everybody has a list of the favorite food that they love to home cook and eat.
For example: Whenever I am alone at home, and my husband is away at work, I love to cook a simple ‘pasta’ dish, and I absolutely enjoy having it.
Cook for yourself that you love. It brings momentary happiness, which adds value to our life.
If you don’t know how to cook, take the help of YouTube, which is full of cooking videos, and learn to make your dish of the hour.
Prepare for Yourself a Nice Cup of Tea/ Coffee & Listen to Songs
This is one of my favorite things to do when I want to enjoy myself. I make a cup of good Darjeeling tea and sip it slowly while watching something on my laptop or enjoy watching the sunset on my balcony.
It is one of those things you can do every day and let yourself give your own time to enjoy the simplicity of life.
Gardening
Do you love gardening?
Gardening is a brilliant and very productive thing to do alone, as a couple, and with your kid as well.
The process of sowing, planting, watering, and watching it grow slowly is worth all the hard work. Gardening is one of the best “ways to enjoy your own company.” You can spend hours getting your hands dirty and cleanse your mind.
If you live in a city, you can arrange a small garden on your balcony and use it for yourself.
Clear Your Mind
Quality time for yourself allows you to declutter your mind, which is very important today as we all know how hectic city life can be. You hardly get time for yourself. There is always a rush, a sense of competitiveness, and a life full of complications.
So, it becomes important to declutter your mind, throwing away all the unwanted thoughts and feelings for a healthy life.
Appreciate Little Things in Life
You must learn to appreciate and enjoy the little things in life. Take time from your busy schedule, observe and enjoy the little things around you.
For example: Take pleasure in listening to the early morning chirping of birds. Find your happiness in watching the sunrise and sunset. When you see flowers blooming across the street, don’t tear it; rather, appreciate nature.
You will see once you start exploring these little things around you, you will find all the earthly materialistic aspirations vague.
People usually don’t observe the tiny little beautiful things when people surround them.
Prepare a bucket list of things to do
Have you ever prepared bucket lists of things to do?
A To-do list is an amazing way to enjoy your own company. You can list out things you want to do and places you want to travel in your journal or diary.
Once you start fulfilling those wishes, you can keep ticking the bucket lists. It is a fun way to ensure the things you want to do in your life and enjoy.
Gift Yourself Something
You buy gifts for your husband, partner, kids, family, and friends.
How often do you gift yourself a nice something?
If you want something for a long time, you don’t have to wait for someone else to gift you. When you are independent, self-sufficient, and responsible, you have the right to pamper yourself too.
Do not wait for any occasion; you can order online or go to a mall and buy something nice for yourself.
Pamper Yourself
Once in a while, we all should allow ourselves to pamper. Pampering can be of different types – you can go to a salon and get a spa, some prefer to go shopping and buy gifts, some pamper themselves by getting a nice haircut.
You don’t need anyone else to get pampered. Take a day off and pamper yourself the way you want.
Binge-watch
With the arrival of so many streaming platforms, there are no limitations in the availability of movies and TV series. Movie watching is always a fun thing to do, be it alone or with family.
You can spend your alone time watching classic movies or a movie from your favorite list with pizza or a cup of tea.
Learn something New
Learning is always a productive thing to do. There are so many things that you don’t know, and these days with platforms like Udemy, Coursera you can learn much more.
You can make use of your alone time the best by learning something new.
You can join online classes; you can join a sports academy learning new things that will add value to your life. Also, it will cut the mundaneness that we all suffer after a certain point in life.
Treat Yourself at a Fancy Restaurant
Whenever we plan to go to a restaurant, either we plan it with our friends or with family.
How many times have you ever dine out in a fancy restaurant alone?
Honestly, I have never tried it, but I am willing to do that to experience the feeling.
I know, you must be thinking it is weird to eat alone in a restaurant while others are staring at you.
It’s okay; think about yourself and put your happiness first.
Take a Nap
Taking a nap is also a way to enjoy your own company. You can spend an hour or two taking a power nap.
Make Your Bed daily
Spread a clean and washed bedsheet on your bed and change the cover of the pillows. You can also change the curtains of your bedroom to look different and cleaner.
Do you know minimal household chores can also give you pleasure and a way to improve your lifestyle to minimalists?
Decorate Your room
Decorating your room, organizing the kitchen or the entire house is a refreshing task that one can do for themselves. Everybody likes a clean and decorated house.
Though it is not always possible to keep a house perfectly neat and clean every day. But weekly, once you can organize every bit of your house on your own.
Take an Aromatic bath
How often do you take a warm aromatic bath?
Though this is not advisable practically as it wastes a lot of water, you can absolutely take the pleasure of it once a month.
If you don’t want to wastewater, you can participate in a swimming club and enjoy.
Disconnect your Mobile Phone & laptop
Ask yourself – Can I stay a day without my phone and laptop?
Digital detox has become an extremely important thing to do to maintain the balance of our life.
We all are so dependent on mobile phones and laptops for our work and even entertainment that it is becoming hard to think of living without these electronic gadgets.
I can assure you how digital detox is helpful. It has helped me. All you need to do is to switch off your gadgets and keep them aside for hours. Try to concentrate on the other little things and activities you want to do in your alone time.
Try a New Hairstyle
I haven’t had a new hairstyle for a year because of the Covid-19 situation. I am taking all the precautionary steps and avoiding going to places that are not of utmost importance.
Pampering yourself by going to a salon and trying a new hairstyle is one of the ways to enjoy your own company.
Let’s not forget the current scenario the world is going through. There are many other ways to enjoy being alone, but now taking all the necessary Covid-19 safety steps is life-saving.
Try a Solo trip
Have you ever tried a solo trip?
I have had my life’s most amazing 2 days solo trip, which let me self-discover myself and greatly boost my self-confidence.
If you also want to enjoy yourself apart from all the above-mentioned ‘ways’ I would say solo travel is the best.
It is a learning experience that also let you explore more about yourself.
Conclusion:
These are my best 25 ways to enjoy your own company. You don’t always need a person to enjoy. You can be happy and have more fun even by your own. If you are happy, you will automatically have a better and a happy long-lasting relationship.