My first solo coffee date
I already shared about my first solo coffee date but for the purpose of this post I'll briefly go over that day. I was going for a long walk to my favorite nature spot where I was reading a book by the water and looking over at the nearby small cafe debating if I should go for a coffee or not. It was pretty crowded and I was about to give up when I spotted a free table, perfect spot for solo date - it was looking over water and I could turn by back to the rest of the people. That's what made me go for it, I ordered a cup of coffee (photo on the left) and continued reading my book. Soon I noticed an older man sitting at the table next to be, he was by himself having a beer and that made me smile! :)
Making solo coffee dates a regular thing
My next target was to go to a solo coffee date in the city and my choice was cafe Pogon where I was few times before but never alone. I thought it would be a nice spot because it's quite small coffee shop, the atmosphere was relaxing and it's not strange for people to come by themselves, mostly working on laptop or studying...
What I do on solo coffee dates?
After that I discovered another small coffee place with the same vibe and those two became my "safe spots" for solo dates. Now I don't even know how many times I took myself out for a solo coffee date and it became one of my favorite things to do! I do always bring something with me depending on my intentions - sometimes I feel like bringing my laptop and working on blog posts for Hive, sometimes I bring my iPad but for the most part it's just a book I'm currently reading and my journal, those two are my favorite solo date activities.
Looking way back and dealing with anxiety
When I was a kid and teenager, I was so dependent on other people for everything. I couldn't go anywhere or do anything without someone by my side or doing it for me. Back then I didn't understand why I was like that but it was my extreme anxiety that I was struggling with for most of my life. I still struggle with social anxiety and making phone calls/sending emails still bring me so much anxiety but looking back at how it was years ago, I have come a long way! Going on solo coffee dates made me enjoy my own company, be more independent, appreciating these simple joys in life like having a sip of amazing coffee while reading a book in a nice environment. It helped me a lot with my confidence and getting out of my comfort zone just by putting myself out there.
The biggest lessons and takeaways for solo dating
I believe that getting out of our comfort zone is one of the best things we can do for ourselves! This is different for everyone and it's quite an individual thing but there's so much growth, learning and confidence that comes from leaving the comfort zone, it opens up so many opportunities and brings so many new experiences. Before even going to my first solo coffee date, I went to a concert to another city alone and that was also such an amazing experience that I would definitely love to have again. I also went to the cinema by myself twice and really enjoyed it! One thing I still need to do is to visit a restaurant and have a meal by myself and big one would be solo travel!
Let me know in the comments if you like to go on solo dates and what kind? I would love to hear about your experiences. let's encourage and inspire each other! Thank you for reading! :)
I used to be the same, but learnt a long time ago, like you, that there can be joy in our own company! It's heartening to see how you've taken control and now enjoy these solo coffee moments more confidently! I used to go to the movies alone too, that took some doing but hey we can't miss out just coz we are alone! Keep inspiring others with your journey!
Thank you for sharing your experience, I am glad to hear you also found yourself enjoying your own company! :)
My first time at the movies was when I went to see Doctor Strange, unlike my friends I am a big fan of Marvel movies so I thought I would enjoy it a lot more by myself rather then dragging someone who's going to be bored for 2 hours, haha.
I feel like sometimes we tend to miss on certain opportunities or experiences because there's no one in our surroundings with the same interests or life just gets busy and we cannot always make plans with people. That's when doing things on our own can really make our lives as much as fun and interesting as sharing it with other people.
That's so true!
My first was seeing lord of the rings on New Year's Day when it first came out. No one would come with me so I went on my own. I had a big bag of cherrys and lay in the very front row and had an awesome time!