As the pace of life quickens each day, I find that I spend less and less time alone. I have found it easy to roll through the motions. Feeling like each day is part of a checklist is not satisfying and does not make someone like myself happy.
Finding time to spend with yourself is difficult when you have such a busy schedule. Something that has stuck with me, however, is the idea of “dating yourself." To me, dating yourself means spending time alone in order to really know yourself, your likes, dislikes, and what you believe in.
Something that I struggle with is taking a break from life. When it seems like there is too much to do, spending time with myself becomes a low priority. I have found that even fifteen minutes out of my day spent with my own thoughts can really be beneficial to my outlook, my mood, and my overall productivity for that day. In the digital age, we are constantly connected through our phones and computers. Social media allows us to never really feel like we are “alone," but a good way to find time in the day for yourself is to carve out some of the time we spend on our phones or laptops connecting with the virtual world.
Spending time alone does not have to mean sitting in a chair staring at the wall. Some good ways to reflect are through journaling, sketching, scrapbooking, or maybe you like to just take some time to reflect quietly. It is important to find out what you love to do, and to incorporate that into your life. Dating yourself can mean treating yourself to your favorite meal or favorite movie, whatever makes you happy.
Dating yourself is not just an idea for people who are not in a relationship; I think that everyone should always be getting to know him or herself more and more. An unhealthy self-relationship can affect any other friendship or relationship you have. The most important relationship we have on this earth is the one with ourselves, and we should treat ourselves with love and respect in order to know our worth and know what we stand for.
