How to Become Better at Being on Your Own

Self-reliance is an incredibly important skill and is essentially the key to happiness and stability. If you are someone who can be completely happy on your own and who doesn’t need the validation, entertainment, or help of others to get by, then you will never be left without resources and unable to continue to function.

Ultimately, we are all alone. As much as you might love others and feel they are there for you, when you close your eyes at night it is just you. That shouldn’t be scary though – not if you are okay with being self-reliant.

Unfortunately though, many people struggle to spend time with themselves which is perhaps the very most basic expression of self-reliance. Here then, we will look at how to become better at being on your own without becoming either lonely or bored.

Keep a List of Activities

One useful tip that can make a big difference is to keep a list of activities to engage in. This might mean for instance that you keep a running note of any books you want to read, any films you want to watch, or any computer games you want to play. By doing this, you will then have a long list of things you’re keen to do when you’re on your own and you’ll be excited to get the chance to do these next time you are rather than just sitting twiddling your thumbs.

Start New Hobbies and Activities

This will tie into the latter: if you have a hobby or a regular activity that you do then you’ll be far less likely to find yourself bored. What’s more, when you do something like painting or working out, you will often be alone or at least quiet and solitary when you engage in that thing. Writing is particularly good because it forces you to practice having an internal monologue which ultimately can result in you becoming better at keeping yourself company’. Some people also find that playing music can keep them company.

Spend Gradually More Time Alone

Another thing you can do to become better at being alone is simply to practice. In other words, try spending more and more time alone until you start to find it less upsetting. Maybe try taking long walks alone at first, before eventually building up to doing things like taking holidays on your own.