35 Amazing Self-Date Ideas, You Don’t Necessarily Need a Partner

WHETHER YOU’RE HAPPILY COUPLED OR FLYING SOLO, CHOOSING TO CULTIVATE SELF-LOVE IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT.

Often, we feel pressured by society to minimize our time alone. We fear loneliness. We worry about appearing selfish. We feel that getting to know ourselves better is a waste of time.

COMPARED TO THE COST OF NOT LOVING OURSELVES, THOSE REASONS SEEM KIND OF SILLY, DON’T THEY?

Treat yourself as you would a treasured loved one. Take yourself out on a date. Spend time appreciating your own company.

Here are 35 great solo date ideas:

1. Check out the local theater scene. High school and college level plays are usually fantastic and inexpensive.

2. Plant a garden. Grow flowers, vegetables, herbs, fruit, fairy villages – whatever feels right to you!

3. Tour a local vineyard or brewery. Learn to appreciate the process. Check out a candy factory if booze isn’t your thing!

4. Lay a blanket in the grass and watch the clouds go by.

5. Go to a local dog shelter. Offer to walk the dogs to give them some love and exercise.

6. Audit a college course. See what you can learn when you aren’t worried about getting a good grade.

7. Go apple-picking. Go strawberry-picking. Remind yourself that food is a miracle gifted to us by the earth. Then, go home and bake something wonderful!

8. Attend services for a religion you don’t practice. See how it feels to be a spiritual tourist.

9. Build a blanket fort and hide from the world.

10. Check out a local high school or college football game. Paint your face. Get loud.

11. Try go-kart racing to indulge your competitive streak.

12. Declare a “naked day.” Do all your regular household chores in the nude.

13. Go to a concert none of your friends would agree to attend. Dance. Sing along. Get lost in the music.

14. Treat yourself to a picnic in the park. Bring along a good book, or just soak in the peaceful feeling of spending time in nature.

15. Dress up super fancy with no place to go. Who said you have to save your best outfit for others to enjoy? Wear it around the house, or go grocery shopping looking like you’re on your way to the opera – or a rave.

16. Take a guided tour of your hometown. You’ll be surprised at what you learn.

17. Book a pin-up photo shoot. Celebrate your sex appeal!

18. Take yourself zip-lining somewhere both thrilling and beautiful.

19. Look up a recipe for a dish you’ve always wanted to try. Cook it for yourself and eat by candlelight.

20. Try out a million different scents. Find a signature fragrance that feels like the best version of you.

21. Go out to dinner somewhere fancy. Bring a good book, or make the servers nervous with a clipboard and a checklist.

22. Take a class nobody would want to do with you – pottery, improv comedy, or woodworking. Immerse yourself in it.

23. Hike through the mountains. Touch base with yourself and with the universe.

24. Take a bubble bath. Light candles, use bath oils, and add flowers to the water.

25. Go stargazing. Make a wish on the brightest one.

26. Make something you would normally buy. Candles, soap, cheese, and pickles are surprisingly easy!

27. Get in touch with your inner child. Jump rope, color, or build something with Legos. Do whatever your favorite activity was back in the day.

28. Check out your local farmer’s market. Cook with fresh food all week long!

29. Buy yourself flowers. Every time you see them, remember to indulge yourself once in a while.

30. Take yourself on a road trip. Find a small town you’ve never been to. Discover the local restaurants, shops, and history.

31. Declare an “art day.” Paint, sculpt, and draw whatever is in your heart.

32. Throw a solo dance party. Get wild with it!

33. Rent an outrageously impractical car for a day. Go where you please. Feel like a movie star.

34. Immerse yourself in another culture. Research stories, music, and art from a nation that interests you. Then, cook yourself an authentic recipe from their cuisine.

35. Do absolutely nothing. Just relax with yourself for a moment.

“Standing alone scares a lot of people. It means they have to be themselves, and more often than not they haven’t the slightest clue who they’ve been all this time, and that’s why people stay the same, because it’s a frightening choice to step away from the crowd,” explained Nikki Rowe. Step away for a moment. Take the chance to discover yourself. You may learn to love who you find.

Source: I Heart Intelligence