5 Reasons Why Solo Outings Are A Must!

I used to be the type of person who would get invited somewhere and my first thought would be who I could ask to come with me - aka, I forever had a plus one. I could not fathom going to a social event alone. The thought of me sitting there awkwardly while sipping a cocktail and eating my appetizers, having small interactions with the person who invited me, and occasionally smiling or nodding at people walking by made me cringe! It wasn’t happening!

As I got older, I started meeting people who truly valued their alone time. I remember an old friend of mine would tell me that she would go to the movies by herself, and I would ask her ‘why’ and she would tell me because the movies isn’t meant to be social; you’re supposed to sit there quietly anyways. Makes sense, but I wasn’t socially capable of doing that. Then, she continued by telling me she even attended concerts, went out to eat, and did all these activities that in my head required two people, by HERSELF!

My perception of doing things alone started changing as certain friendships and relationships of mine started changing or we just got busy. Our schedules started to not align with one another, leaving one of us to cancel plans. Even some of my friends and I had different ideas of what was considered ‘fun.’  It sucks, but it’s life. There were so many things I wanted to do, but because no one was available or wanted to come with me, I canceled or rescheduled. This was a personal bummer. I felt like I had missed so many opportunities to do some amazing things because I didn’t have my forever plus one. This resulted in me ultimately feeling like I let myself down. Enough was most certainly enough. I refused to miss another event, concert, birthday soiree, and whatever else it was I wanted to do. I would now do it solo.

If you’re the person like the previous me who feels like they need someone to accompany them to whatever it is they are trying to do, I am here to encourage you to take that leap of faith and do it alone. Here’s why…

You Can Potentially Meet New People/People Feel More Comfortable Approaching You:

Have you ever been out and saw a cutie in the corner that you had your eyes on who also had their eyes on you, but no one said anything for whatever reason? This could be for plenty of reasons; maybe you both are shy or fear rejection. Whatever the case may be, one of those reasons is surely because either one or both of you had company. Remember that forever plus one I was telling you about? Yeah, that company. If you want to start dating and meeting new people, the best way to do so is alone. From personal experience, guys or gals are more likely to approach you when you are by yourself, because they feel more comfortable and less intimidated. They don’t have to worry about your friend giving them the side eye or smiling at the two of you because you are shooting your shot.

Helps Build Independence & Confidence

If you are the type who relies heavily on people to come through for you in whichever way, going out alone is highly recommended. I briefly mentioned above that I missed out on so many fun things because I felt like I needed someone to be there with me in order to enjoy myself, and that is not okay. Sometimes growth requires self-reflection, and a lot of calling yourself out on your own bs. If we want to get technical, this can also pour into our romantic relationships where we become anxiously attached to our partners. Yeah, it gets that deep. I won’t go fully into that because I’m no expert, but what I can say is we want to avoid relying on other people to have a good time.

You Can Do Whatever The Heck You Want To Do:

Yes, that is correct! Going out alone allows you to decide for yourself what it is you want to do. This means that you can pick where you want to eat this time around instead of having to do rock, paper, scissors with your friend because you two can’t choose between pasta and seafood. This also means if they are feeling like dancing tonight, but you’ve been on your feet all day at work and just in the mood for a nice cocktail and a rooftop view, you can do just that. If you’ve been wanting to take a vacation and started a group chat with eight friends, and only two of you actually end up going, now’s the time to be thinking about that solo trip so you can avoid the hassle of planning for two. The ball is on your side of the court this time around.

Spend Quality Time With Yourself/Possible Self-Rediscovery:

‘Me time’ is highly underrated and a thousand percent needed. As adults, we are always surrounded by people and have a million responsibilities. Some of us are in relationships, have kids, and a big family and friend groups, and never really have any alone time. By dedicating a day, if you are able to, to yourself you can sometimes rediscover yourself. You might develop a hobby or skill that you had no idea you would enjoy or capable of doing because you are always in the company of others. Not only that, but being able to recharge from a long week and enjoy your own company is so warranted. 

You Can Come Out Of Your Shell:

If you are a relatively shy person who normally keeps to his or herself, participating in solo outings can take you out of your comfort zone. Because I am the queen of examples, I have another one for you. Let’s say you and your forever plus one are at a party. This time around, you vouched to not stand by the wall and be a wallflower the entire night; you are actually going to enjoy yourself. One of your favorite songs comes on and you grab your friend by the hand to show off those tiktok dances you’ve learned (okay, I’m kidding…a little bit), but she shuts that dream all the way down. You don’t want to leave your friend alone so you just stay with them. Now you two are chilling on the wall while everyone else is dancing to your favorite song. I know; I am a bit dramatic, but situations like these do happen. 

Before you click off the post, I’m not saying that you should never hang out with your friends and never have a plus one again; I just wanted to remind you that sometimes alone time is needed. Never let the fact that someone doesn’t want to do something or go somewhere stop or discourage you from experiencing it. Nothing is worse than a missed opportunity.