Why You Should Try Doing Things by Yourself Before the Semester Starts

If you ever feel embarrassed going out by yourself, this is for you 👇 

Going out by yourself may sound like the most daunting thing in the world but trust me, it can actually be really beneficial. 

Take it from someone who suffers from anxiety and let me hold your hand when I tell you this – it’s okay to do things by yourself. 

If you’re the kind of person who’s always wanted to venture out alone, whether it be because you just want a bit of quiet time or you wanted to check something out, but you had no one to go with, this article is for you. 

I’m taking you through exactly how you can get over that feeling of thinking everyone is staring and judging you and why it’s beneficial to get out of your comfort zone every now and then.

First things first, start small. 

If the thought of going to a concert alone makes you feel anxious, that’s so fine. You have to start somewhere and for me, it was going to the movies by myself. 

While at first I thought it was going to be a bit awkward sitting amongst couples and groups of friends by myself, you soon realise that no one cares what you’re doing. No one’s even looking at you.  

Just start by taking a short walk around your house or go to a park near where you live. Trust me, you’ll get a bit of sun and you’ll get used to having no one else’s thoughts to listen to but your own.  

You can also try going to a shopping centre and just walking around by yourself, you’ll soon realise that most environments are way too overstimulating for anyone to take notice of you being alone. 

Which can be a good thing! It means you have to take the time to actually ground yourself and take a minute to sit with how you’re feeling. 

Or you can spend the whole time scrolling your phone, it's completely up to you. 

Once you get more confident, try going to busier events. 

Is there a farmers’ market nearby you’ve been meaning to check out?  

A new movie you want to see but everyone’s too busy?  

Maybe even one of your favourite artists is coming to town but you have no one to go with? 

Don’t miss out on great memories just because you don’t want to go alone. Plus, you never know: you might meet new friends when you go out on your own.  

The good thing is there’s no pressure to talk to anyone. You can put your headphones in, listen to your favourite music and just do your own thing. 

No one is looking at you. Trust me. 

I was one of those people who would rather miss out on an event than go by myself.  

Now, sometimes I prefer to go to places by myself because it means I don’t have to talk to anyone. 

One thing I can guarantee is that no one is judging you or talking about you behind your back.  

Everyone is in their own world: they’re distracted by something else, talking to someone else, or even just scrolling through their phone and minding their own business. 

Plus, one of the best things about going out by yourself is that you never have to worry about being late or waiting for someone. 

And you can leave whenever you’re ready to. No potentially awkward goodbyes necessary. 

Why it’s beneficial for uni. 

Going out by yourself means you’re more inclined to have those random conversations with strangers, which is great for uni. 

And if you don’t want to talk to anyone, it can make just getting around uni and going to classes a lot less stressful because you’re not constantly thinking about what everyone thinks of you. 

You can meet people a lot more easily and you’ll probably be more likely to join some clubs and be a bit more social at uni (which means going to more events and overall making the most of your time studying!) 

Plus, the more you go out by yourself the more you realise that you don’t have to be surrounded by heaps of friends to be happy. 

Whether you’re more of an introvert or an extrovert (or somewhere in between), I think everyone can benefit from doing stuff by themselves sometimes.