London dates with myself

I would like to talk about some good old alone time in this post. We all need it, whether we’re living with our families, our friends, or spouses. It is a time where a lot of introverted people recharge their batteries and regain the energy to deal with everything happening in the world again. But it is needed even for people who are extroverts at their heart. Simply for every one of us, it is very important to be able to spend time on your own and even enjoy it.

There isn’t only one right way to do that. There are so many of them and I would like to look at one that in my experience was a little bit forgotten and shoved to the side. And that is taking yourself on a date. The reason for pushing it aside was because I didn’t consider it that relaxing until I properly tried it.

When I have a day off from my part-time job (or uni responsibilities during the term), I usually just chill home or sit on the balcony getting some underappreciated vitamin D (which is quite hard to get because of the limited sunshine in the UK). However, I have discovered over the years that I do not necessarily need to stay at home and sit on the sofa to feel relaxed and satisfied. Actually, I find it quite boring sometimes. I used to be a person who didn’t have a single issue with spending the majority of my summer holiday binge-watching TV series. But now I have developed this feeling of needing to feel productive or work on myself in order to feel better. This in the long run is better, but in reality, takes a lot more effort than putting on an episode of Teen Wolf to make my day feel valuable. Don’t get me wrong though, I still have those days because I believe you simply need to have them sometime. I am not saying you need to put the pressure of being productive 24/7 on yoursel. It’s all about the balance.

Ready to go enjoy the summer days!

For me, I am currently trying to push myself a little more out of my comfort zone to go out and explore because I’ll never be this young in London again (Everything on the student budget though).

So, I want to talk about the importance of going out on your own and destroy the stigma around it. I want to normalise things like going for lunch or dinner on your own without feeling odd or in my case just go out on a little date with yourself in the London city centre.

Sidenote: If you are in London, I highly recommend visiting the city centre now to enjoy hopefully the last bits of unusually quiet London without the tourists. It is simply an experience you’re not going to get again, once London will be getting more and more people coming in. Which in reality would be a good sign because personally, I want all this madness to stop as long as it’s safe. Even if it means we will get crazy busy London streets again when it's the right time.

It is not a bad idea at all to become a tourist in the city you live in every once in a while. And the truth is, there is always more to explore and see.

Weirdly enough, I thought I would feel truly exhausted after a nearly full day of walking through London. I did feel physically tired and ached but then again, I did not wear appropriate shoes for so much walking. However, mentally I felt so relaxed and recharged that it made me realise how important it is to make a habit out of doing things like this.

It is so crucial to feel comfortable spending time with yourself because, in the end, you are ultimately the person you’re “stuck with” your whole life. And each relationship needs time and effort, even the one you have with yourself. So, go ahead, date yourself and enjoy every minute of it!

Mango sorbet & Mint Chocolate ice cream

Even made a new friend in Hyde Park