Journey to independence
Learning how to overcome the fear of doing things alone can be difficult. I suffer from anxiety and recently came to the realization that I have always avoided solo adventures. From dining out to attending a social event I always had friends, family or a romantic partner accompany me.
Being an only child and attending a university in my hometown are additional factors that have prevented me from being in solo situations.
There was an idea in my head that being alone was the equivalent to being lonely, I would soon learn this was far from the truth. This mindset held me back from becoming my own person and enjoying things that I wanted to do.
I made the decision to find comfort in being alone in public settings in September and encourage everyone to try it out.
One should take the time to set realistic short- and long-term goals beforehand. Begin creating short- term goals such as going to the movie theatre, grocery store or eating at a restaurant by yourself.
If one becomes uncomfortable, they should avoid using distractions such as electronic devices.
While one could use distractions to help, they would defeat the purpose and would not get the best results.
The goal is to become more self- aware, think deeper and appreciate oneself.
One can try to attend a movie alone as it is a setting in which the people around them are focused on what is on the screen and not the people sitting next to them. This is a great start to self growth, as they could potentially begin doing the things they want to do and discover interest in different genres.
Once one finds a steady routine they can then shoot for bigger goals, such as attending a concert alone or having a personal vacation.
Finding comfort in solitude is a journey but once one commits to the process, all the work will be worth it in the end.
