6 Awesome Ways to Spend Time with Yourself

PUBLISHED Aug 4th, 2020 & UPDATED ON Feb 13th, 2023

Hi. Hello. Welcome! This is a dedication to self-care. Whose self-care? Your self-care! And one of the ways to do that is to learn how to spend time with yourself.

When was the last time you were alone?

Not lonely, or isolated, or missing someone. But alone, happily, by choice?

If you’re still thinking, it’s been too long.

The reason it’s been so long is probably because, in today’s world, we are never truly alone. We always have a notification popping up on our screen, our work phone ringing at 10pm, or our Instagram feed waiting to be consumed. We crave connection with others and, as a result, never have time to connect with ourselves.

Another reason we dismiss alone time is because there’s such a negative stigma around ‘being alone’. Just so we’re clear, being alone is not the same thing as being lonely. There are some incredible benefits to having time alone, but we simply never hear about them.

Well. Fasten your seatbelts because you’re gonna hear about ‘em now.

Why You Should Spend Time with Yourself

What better way to convince you to spend time with yourself than to show you the countless benefits!

**the introverts are nodding along as the extroverts are screaming internally…

Don’t fret, don’t fret. We’re not taking away any of your social time, because that’s important too.

Keep reading to find out why spending time alone is good for you.

1. Discover Who You Are

Dr. Angela Grice, a speech language pathologist, has done extensive research on neuroscience and neurocognition. She explains how spending time alone can help you re-discover yourself:

“Cultivating this sense of being alone and making the choice to be alone can help you to develop who you are, your sense of self, and what your true interests are.”

Alone time will give you the opportunity to look within and uncover things that may have been forced into hiding due to the busyness of your life.

2. Care for Your Physical and Mental Wellbeing

Spending time alone provides much-needed time to take care of yourself. If you’re anything like us, you’re go-go-go from the minute you wake up to the minute you (eventually) fall asleep.

Our busy lifestyles often neglect time for self-care, which can ultimately backfire in the end. Alone time gives your mind and body time to rest and recharge, which it desperately needs.

3. Increase Your Productivity and Creativity

This one is pretty simple. When you’re alone, there are no distractions. No kids asking you where their socks are, no tri-tone text notification demanding your attention, no partner showing you hilarious (but untimely) memes. Just you and your work. When you designate time and space for work, your creative juices start flowing without interruption. You’re in the zone.

4. Reduce Your Stress

The combination of all of these benefits ultimately leads to decreased stress. When you are alone, you don’t have to worry about anything but yourself. You don’t have to worry about what other people are doing or thinking. You don’t have to worry about maintaining social interactions. There is no pressure. It’s just you, yourself, and you.

5. Improve Relationships

Understanding yourself will help you better understand the relationships in your life. Through a bit of reflection, you’ll realize which relationships are meaningful and add to your life, and which ones are harmful or simply there to fill a space. You’ll recognize the value in your positive relationships and will likely become even more invested in them.

But…What Is There to Do When You’re Spending Time Alone?

Ok ok, you’re all on board. But how do you actually spend time with yourself? Is there more to it than just sitting in silence with no distractions? You bet! Here are a few other recommendations that might inspire you.

1. Pick Up an Old Hobby or Try a New One

What better way to pass the time than by doing something you love? Maybe it’s something that you did as a teenager. Or maybe it’s something that you’ve always wanted to do but your partner hates.

News flash: you don’t need anyone else! You can do it by yourself. Using your alone time to do something that makes you happy will never feel like a chore.

2. Journal Through Your Thoughts

Grab your pen and paper and have a heart-to-heart with your journal. Journaling has so many benefits for mental health, which makes it an excellent way to spend your coveted alone time.

Check out our DiveThru app, which has over 1000 journaling exercises created by mental health professionals. The app can be used to target and explore specific areas of your life such as relationships, personal development, and work life. Download it for free to get started today!

3. Try Your Hand at Coloring

Sure, it was super easy when you were a kid! And it will still be easy now, which is what makes this awesome little hobby so relaxing. Throw on some good tunes in the background, pour yourself a hot cup of coffee and let your mind relax as you fill in the most intricate designs. No seriously, some of the designs are sooo intricate!

Head to the Google machine and find yourself a mesmerizing colouring book. There are so many enchanting options to choose from!

4. Make a Self-Care Basket

Whether you’re doing this for yourself or for someone you love, we guaranteeeeee it’ll bring a smile! It’ll take you a few hours to gather everything, which is perfect. This is when you dedicate the time to yourself and allow yourself to be super engaged in the activity!

Don’t know what to throw in the basket? Focus on things that help you (or your loved one) take charge of your mental health! Think favourite treats, calming tea, scented candles, relaxing skin care like a nice soothing lotion, a book, a journal, maybe a new agenda. Try to really personalize the basket with what you need, which might be super different than any of the stuff we just listed.

5. Print Pictures & Frame Them

Take some time to browse through your pictures and pick 5-10 you’d love to have framed. Print these off at your local drugstore and then go pick a few cute frames!

If you’re not an overly crafty person (ya same here), this is the perfect way to get a little creative. Best part? You’ll get to see your loved ones’ faces even more often. Win-win.

6. Do Nothing

Sometimes it’s really powerful to just sit and do nothing. Let your mind wander and be reassured knowing there’s absolutely nothing you have to do except be there in the moment.

Best Tips to Actually Make Your Time Alone Happen

We know our intentions don’t always line up with our schedules and our priorities! If you’re thinking “Yeah this is great but how am I actually gonna find the time for it??” then take a look at the tips below. We got you.

1. Schedule It

Schedule your alone time in a calendar, agenda, reminder, or even write it on your forehead if you feel so inclined. The point is, plan it into your day and don’t back out of it. Don’t think that you’re being selfish by taking time to take care of yourself. You’re not.

Scheduling time for yourself also helps to maintain a healthy balance of social time and alone time. Think of it as a spectrum. We depend on social interactions to build connections and relationships, but too much social time can be overwhelming.

Likewise, we need alone time to recharge, but too much alone time can be isolating. Try to utilize your schedule in order to find a happy medium.

2. Eliminate Distractions

It might be uncomfortable, at first, to be alone without the constant companionship of your phone or your family. But silencing distractions is truly the only way to get value out of your alone time.

Let the other people in your household know that you’re unavailable and leave your phone in another room. Don’t take it with you and pretend you won’t use it because we all know you will (we know because we do it too).

3. Shift Your Mindset

If you think that alone time is going to be a waste of time, you’re probably right. That’s the power of the good, old self-fulfilling prophecy. Try to avoid going in with a negative mindset and be open to the benefits of spending some time with yourself.

We pretty much guarantee you’ll find value in it. Give it a chance.

4. Get Started! Do It Once and Go From There

If you’re a little hesitant to spend time alone with yourself, try just starting once. Spend 3 intentional minutes alone with no distractions. If you’re able to do that, congratulate yourself! Then move up to 5 minutes.

Making time for yourself is not a competition or a contest. In fact, that’s what we’re trying to avoid. Work at your own pace and you’ll start to feel more comfortable before you know it. Practice makes perfect.

Now that you’re a pro on why and how you should spend time alone, we 10/10 recommend you try it out for yourself. You can even start right now. Pretend it took you 15 minutes to read this instead of the 5 that it actually took.

Ooh would you look at that, 10 minutes to spend by yourself journaling or colouring or just breathing.

Don’t worry, we won’t tell. Your secret’s safe with us.