As an introvert, this here would sound like it’s right up my alley. But when it comes to doing so many things alone, there is still this sense of anxiety that I get from going outside my comfort zone. And by that I’m referring to going outside my home. Now, unless I’m meeting up with people I don’t mind going out in public by myself, but when it’s intentional, well, that’s when I feel vulnerable. Although, I still feel some type of way about being out alone, I have started doing things to slowly break out of my comfort zone.
Fish On!
One of the first things in I’ve done without hesitation really since my 30s was going out and fishing. Besides planned trips with friends or meeting up with them, I have from time to time just gone out on my own. Even if it’s not much considering you’re more than likely out and almost no one is around, you’re still out there. I believe it had something to do with the excitement of hooking a fish on your line. Almost as if you get a quick burst of adrenaline and/or dopamine in your system.
Wine & Canvas
At one of my last apartments I lived at on my own, every so often there would be almost like a community board but it’s plastered in random spots throughout. But one thing that caught my eye was how an instructor was visiting and they had sign-ups for this wine and canvas class. What’s not to like about drinking and trying to paint and not caring if you’re any good?! For me though, I always had a soft spot for art. And whether that be painting, sketching, etc. I signed up anyway, once again without hesitation.
Being how (at the time) I had this tendency to run late almost everywhere I go, this time was no different. But I still made it before they started. When I arrived at the community room… all women (not that it mattered to me but why leave it out of the story). At one point I wasn’t sure if I was in the right spot. Once I had the courage to ask, they welcomed me in. Somewhere in the middle of our class, I heard one of the girls whispering to her friend, “His is really good.” Inside I was blushing but what they didn’t know was that I took a lot of art classes in high school.
The Big Screen
I think depending on the type of person you are, there’s still no feeling like experiencing a movie at the theater. I mean you could have your entertainment system at home but neighbors might come knocking on your door (that’s if they’re nice enough. Because too often will they just bang on the walls instead), of course that’s assuming you’re in anything other than a house with no connecting walls.
My first movie experience alone from what I could remember was Ready Player One. And it was a great watch. The only reason this came to fruition was eventually one day none of my friends or any family members were either able to or just wasn’t interested. Plus, a colleague of mine at the time really recommended it. And this might have been the first film I watched without even asking anyone if they wanted to go. Almost like a spurt of the moment thing.
Bar & Restaurant
The only time frame I’m getting from this is sometime after covid. When everything was in full bloom once again and golf courses nowadays are more expensive than they once were pre-covid. When I would doordash, there were so many restaurants I picked up from the food I would deliver just smelled so good. This was the time I did a lot of take-out myself but one day I just decided to dine in.
As I’m writing this, I now realized why I did less take-out and more sit-down. One of the restaurants I ordered from used a lot of packaging that goes to waste. As in you can’t even recycle it even if you wanted to. I didn’t like that. I know I’m just one person, but it was one of the reasons I decided to dine in so I could use actual plates and silverware. Trying to save the planet might be the most difficult task there is. But someone has to do it!
Final Thoughts
Exploring and taking on new adventures, specifically when it’s a solo one can be nerve wrecking. But from my experience, overall I really do enjoy it. Like when I did the wine and canvas, I was a bit closed off yet still managed to make small talk with my fellow painting neighbor. With the restaurant, on average I would go maybe once a week to every other but one of my servers took to my company so much she invited me out to a bar where they had a few DJs playing house music. And same goes for the movies. Had the leap not been taken, who knows what else I would have missed out on, big screen or with just life altogether.
There are still many things I plan on doing alone just for the purpose of it being a new experience, whether I have done it before or not. And depending on what it is there’s a chance you can get in touch with who you are as a person. Maybe you’ll find out things about yourself you never knew existed, and that could be a good thing.
My Life Experience 