I've never lived alone in my life. I went from living with my parents for 23 years straight to living with my fiance last year. So when Brett started the Police Academy in October, leaving me alone throughout the week, it was a big adjustment. Now that I've had three months to get used to it, I'd say I'm a bit of a pro at keeping myself occupied and not melting into a puddle of despair from Monday morning to Friday evening. As a disclaimer, I'm quite the introvert and homebody, so spending some time alone at home is really relaxing and comforting to me. It's all about keeping myself busy at home and mindfully passing the time.
GET A PET (MAYBE??)
Obviously this isn't possible for everyone, but one of the reasons we adopted Lilo (other than the fact that she needed a good home) was so I'd have someone to keep me company during the week. I'd say she's made me feel so much better than I would be if she wasn't here. She gives me something to look forward to each day, and having the responsibility of taking care of her really helps keep my mind busy. And I just love her so much. I really believe that animals can really boost your mood - maybe look around for some petsitting jobs or volunteer at a local animal shelter if you can't get a furbaby of your own.
FIND A HOBBY
Picking up a new hobby to pass the time has been great for me. I've started my Bullet Journal this year, and now I love spending the evenings looking up inspiration and drawing up my weekly spreads and other collections. I also adjusted my blogging schedule now that Brett's away during the week. I usually like to write my posts the night before they go live (although I plan them out for weeks in advance usually), so I changed my posting schedule to Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays because the nights before those days are all the nights that Brett isn't home. It gives me something concrete I'll have to do every night and helps me stay focused. I'm also really trying to get back into doing yoga everyday (although at the moment I'm failing), and to cook for myself more instead of just eating macaroni and cheese from a box every night. I think those will help me mindfully pass the time, too.
SEEK OUT NEW ENTERTAINMENT
I've been using my free time alone to start watching shows and movies I'm really interested in. I usually have this issue of putting something on in the background and then melting into my couch as I endlessly and mindlessly scroll through social media. By picking things I'm actually really interested in, it keeps my attention and the time goes by much more quickly. Lately I've really been into A Series of Unfortunate Events, Gilmore Girls, and Bright Lights (the documentary with Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds). I'm also thinking of starting Westworld and Game of Thrones over from the beginning, and I'm also using the time to get back into the classic movies I used to be obsessed with but haven't watched much since moving in with Brett.
HAVE THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO
I mentioned above that I look forward to coming home to Lilo every night after work, but having other things throughout the week is a big help, too. Of course I look forward to Brett coming home on Fridays, but my mom has started coming down for dinner every Wednesday, and it's such a nice way to break up the week. I love spending time with her, and we get to catch up on our weeks, eat some Wendy's, and watch Gilmore Girls for a few hours. Wednesdays are now my favorite weekday, and it makes the wait till Friday so much easier. I also started planning a time my friends could visit this month back in November, so I had all of December and half of this month to look forward to that, too.
In general, just really take some time for self-care and listen to what your body and your mind need. I try to keep myself alert and my mind active most days, but every once in awhile after a tough day at work I do allow myself an evening of laying on the couch scrolling through Instagram. Do you have any tips for not getting lonely when you're alone?