The Art of Enjoying Your Own Company

A moment to ourselves can feel like one of life’s rare luxuries, especially after a long day spent tending to everyone else’s needs. Whether it’s the end of a workday or a quiet Sunday morning, carving out time just for you is an act of care. And yet, in the stillness, it’s easy to feel unsettled. Suddenly the silence is loud, the urge to scroll creeps in, and FOMO makes us question our choice to be alone in the first place.

But what if solitude didn’t have to feel like something we needed to escape from? What if we could embrace it as a space to recharge, reflect, and reconnect with ourselves, without fear, boredom, or loneliness tagging along?

Being alone isn't the absence of love or connection. Sometimes, it’s the purest expression of both.

Take Time to Develop Your Hobbies

The shift from "being alone" to "being with yourself" starts when you fill your time with things that light you up. Hobbies aren't just distractions, they're acts of presence. They remind you that your time has value, even when no one else is watching.

Whether you're curling up with a book, experimenting in the kitchen, or lacing up your sneakers for a solo run, hobbies turn your alone time into something active and restorative. You’re not just passing time, you’re honoring it.

Choose something you genuinely enjoy. Try something new. Let it be imperfect. The goal isn’t to be productive, it’s to feel connected to yourself.

Explore Without a Plus-One

Alone time doesn’t need to be confined to your home. In fact, getting out on your own can feel freeing, if not a little bold at first. Walking through your neighborhood, taking yourself to a museum, or grabbing a solo matinee ticket can reframe your city or town as something that belongs to you again.

Start small if it feels intimidating. Try a short walk to a new café or bookstore. The more you normalize showing up for yourself in public, the more empowered you’ll feel doing it.

Take Yourself Out to Eat

Dining alone might feel daunting, especially in a culture built around shared meals. But treating yourself to lunch, coffee, or even a full dinner solo can be surprisingly grounding. It’s a reminder that you are worth showing up for, without needing an occasion or a companion.

Bring a book, a journal, or nothing at all. Sit by the window. Order the thing you’ve been craving. Give yourself the gift of a moment that’s both intentional and indulgent.

Make Time for Nature

If you're craving peace without pressure, a local park or trail can be the perfect backdrop for your alone time. Nature doesn’t ask you to perform, multitask, or even speak. You can just be.

Take a walk. Sit in the grass. Watch the leaves move or the dogs play. Being outside, especially without a screen, has a way of grounding us and gently easing the edges of loneliness.

Tend to Your Relationships

Being alone doesn’t mean cutting off connection. In fact, solitude can give you the space to re-engage more meaningfully with the people you care about.

Use part of your alone time to call a friend, write a letter, or send a message to someone you’ve been thinking about. It’s still time for you, it just includes a thread of intentional connection. Sometimes, loving yourself looks like nourishing the relationships that fill you up.

Other Ideas to Try

Take yourself on an “artist date”: Julia Cameron’s idea from The Artist’s Way encourages you to do something creative or sensory by yourself each week, like visiting a gallery, trying pottery, or people-watching with a sketchbook in hand.

Create a ritual: Light a candle, make your favorite drink, and play music that makes you feel calm or energized. Rituals make alone time feel special, not empty.

Practice digital boundaries: Try a no-scroll hour during your alone time to reduce the noise and create space for your own thoughts to rise.

Solitude doesn’t need to feel like absence. In fact, it can be a quiet return to yourself. When you stop seeing alone time as something to get through, and start seeing it as something you do for you, it becomes a powerful act of self-love.

You’re not waiting for plans or people to validate your time. You’re choosing to take up space, to listen in, and to remind yourself that your own company is not just enough, it’s essential.