It baffles me how scared of being alone people are. They live hidden behind their phones, constantly sending memes to their friends, thereby initiating communication. No matter how meaningless that communication is, they indulge in it – for fear of being alone.
I was contemplating going out by myself for a cup of coffee for a long period of time, and when I finally did it, I caught myself feeling uncomfortable and twitchy, hiding behind my phone. Then I said, well f*ck it, I cannot be doing this the whole time.
When I decided to have coffee by myself again, I brought my book and my journal with me. I even ordered a muffin. Yup, I spent two hours reading and writing. And guess what? It felt great.
So, to all those wondering: No, my date didn’t bail out on me, and yes, I have friends. I just want to be left alone for a minute and breathe. Thank you.
I mean, you can’t do anything by yourself, otherwise people would think you are a crazy weirdo.
My friends asked me if I wanted to go out for dinner with them and I said no. There was an art exhibition I’d much rather attend, so I refused their proposal. I went to see great pictures by a talented artist and I went alone. And I am not sorry.
Maybe it sounds selfish, but look, if your friends are not into some of the things you are, you can’t force them to be. But what you can do is to go to that concert, buy a drink and dance to every single song alone. Book a trip and get to know yourself. Also, if your friends are not into DIY items, that’s fine. Skip a coffee or two with them and focus on improving your DIY skills.
It takes courage, I give you that, but doing things alone can broaden your horizons. It can actually open your mind to so many new experiences. You get to spend most of the time on this planet with yourself, so are you really going to waste that time waiting?
If your friends are not available and you could really use the sweetness of a cocktail on a Friday night, then just go for it. You can’t spend your time waiting for your friends to be in the mood or to be available to do something together with you. As life unfolds, we’ll get busier and busier, and that means we’ll have less time for ourselves.
That’s why, now is the time to try scuba diving, backpacking, playing an instrument, or doing some science experiments at home.
Life is short. Go out with your friends when you are all available. Make the most of it. But you also need to go out there and explore your opportunities–by yourself.
Because all you need to do is to take the first step. You will feel anxious and you will feel like the whole world is looking at you, but once you realize you are responsible for your own happiness, you are going to love it.
