It’s very common to afraid of being seen eating alone in public. It was scared of looking like a total loser in the eyes of those around you at a café or restaurant, worried that you would receive pitiful glances as you sip your cup of latte in silence. Such a mindset is far from uncommon.

Spending designated time to yourself means you learn to treat yourself with the same respect, care, and consideration as to how you would treat other people. Show up for yourself and treat yourself like a king or queen. Take yourself out to your favourite restaurant, go on window shopping, watch a movie, or go to a picnic. In fact, a solo date involves you treating yourself in the same way you would treat someone you care about.

Sure, it can feel awkward at first, but eventually, you’ll get used to travelling around the city by yourself and exploring different environments. Here are 3 reasons why you should include solo dates in your life.

1. Boost self-esteem

It takes confidence to go out solo. Being able to go out and do what you want without caring about who’s judging you is a major boost to your self-esteem. With regular solo dates, your self-esteem will improve. There’s nothing wrong with going out by yourself sometimes. You get the chance to do what you want without worrying about what everyone else might think. While on your solo date, make sure not to have your eyes glued to your phone. Even if your self-esteem isn’t as high as you’d like it to be, adopting the “fake it till you make it” mindset when dating yourself can help boost positivity. Soon you start to ignore everyone around you. You realize it doesn’t matter what they think as long as you’re having fun.

2. Build independence

Going on solo dates helps build independence in more subtle ways. It’s important to learn how to rely on yourself and trust yourself to resolve any issues you encounter and make the right solutions. This proves you can be alone without the world ending. Eventually, you’ll begin to feel better about making important decisions on your own, and you’ll be more decisive when you go out with your friends again.

3. Learn more about yourself

In order to find our passions, interests, and who we really are, we need to spend intimate quality time with ourselves. Don’t prevent yourself from life experiences that you may end up falling in love with just because you don’t want to do them alone. It’s a lesson you’ll incorporate more and more in your life as a result. You honestly don’t need to have friends, family or your partner around 24/7. In fact, you are capable of having a wonderful time when you’re alone as well. You’ll be surprised at how much fun you have.