Dating Yourself Is The Best Way To Be Happy
Kristyn Meyer is on a journey to make herself the best human that she can be. These posts are a reflection of that. She welcomes your support via reading and through commissioned affiliate links within her posts! To stay up to date on all of her shenanigans, please subscribe to her email list! (psst…there’s a free gift involved)
Last week I had an evening out that was the greatest. No kids, Qdoba and a movie that starred my second husband (Ryan Reynolds). I was in fabulous company as well.
That company was myself.
Yes, I went on a date with myself. A solo date. An unaccompanied adventure. An individual exploit.
Why did I do this? Because I work from home with two young children and a puppy. Also babysitters aren’t knocking down our doors and I need to get out of the house.
Dating yourself is wonderful.
And sometimes I just want to do what I want. For instance, I don’t want to decide on a restaurant with someone else. I want all the say. Also I want to eat all the M&M’s at the movie without sharing. I don’t want to be fair, I want to be selfish.
So clearly, a solo date works well in this situation.
When I left the house for an evening with myself, I was more than ready to get out. I was pulling my hair out from an overactive pooch, whiny children and a dirty house.
But when I returned?
I was calm, and happy. Rejuvenated and refreshed. I was ready to take on the world again.
And this is why I encourage others to do this same thing. I pushed the idea to the side for so long because I didn’t want to feel like a “loser” alone in the movie theater or the restaurant. I would see others do it and I would feel sorry for them. In my head, I just assumed they had no friends. Why else would you go alone?
Because you can, that’s why. And it’s fun. It’s relaxing. And you can be selfish and do whatever the hell you want.
If the thought of others thinking you are a loser is your only mental block about doing this, then push it away. First of all, do you know them? If not, then what’s the problem? Let them think what they want. Second of all, you should feel sorry for them instead. They have to debate an appropriate restaurant choice. Who will drive to the location? They have to settle that too. What movie will be seen? Will there be a big popcorn or a little one? Is it expected that they will want a handful of your M&M’s?
ALL THINGS YOU DON’T HAVE TO DEAL WITH.
And don’t get your panties in a bunch either. Yes, dates with significant others and rendezvous with friends are fantastic too. There’s just a time and a place for everything. And sometimes that time and place calls for time with just yourself.
Also don’t feel like you need to be married to the dinner and a movie concept. There’s other things that I do to get time to decompress and rejuvenate that don’t involve others too.
Exercise: I personally exercise at home (currently trying out Cize), but even if you are at the gym you have the power of the earbuds, or the back row of a fitness class.
Bedroom Lockdown: There are some nights I pass the parenting duties to my husband and shut myself in my room or office. I won’t say this is completely uninterrupted time, as I have two children who randomly come in to say hi, but I get a lot of Dateline time in.
Nap Time: I live for nap time some days. I put the spawn to sleep and I binge watch TV while working or just enjoy the silence while writing. I love me some Blippi as much as any two year old, but everyone needs a break at some point.
Early to Rise: Most days I wake up about an hour and a half before my kids. I still have to deal with the puppy, but it gives me time to watch the news in silence, drink coffee while it’s warm and get some work done before the monsters awake.
Bottom line: don’t fear the solo date. Dating yourself is great. I know that I’m a blast to be around, so why wouldn’t I want to hang around me? And per my personal goals, I need to insert more self-care into my life. This makes it more possible.
