Ever Taken a Solo Date? Here are My 5 Favs

Three hours of free time have just “fallen” into your lap. What would you do?

This happened to me last Friday and my first thought was, “A movie is an option, but there’s nothing I really want to see.” After sitting, journaling and reflecting for a bit on what I truly need, it came to me.  A walk around the lake (I love turtle watching) and a peach/mango smoothie from my local natural foods deli. Ahhhh, YES!

While there’s nothing wrong with going shopping or catching a flick, I challenge you to think about what would really nourish—and sustain you—when you get precious time alone (think: a handful of potato chips vs. black beans and rice).

Most of us are moving so fast, we’re disconnected from our true needs and desires. In fact, mental health professionals believe this “disconnect from self” is the root cause of depression and anxiety for women. While solo dates may feel weird if they’re new, they’re ideal opportunities to slow down, prioritize your self-care and reconnect with your inner world (check out these three self-care practices for support).

The next time you find an expanse of unscheduled alone time, consider the following soul-nurturing ideas. Here are my five favorite self-care solo dates:

• BEAUTY DATE:  Pack a delicious picnic and visit your local botanical, wildflower or sculpture gardens. Enjoy a leisurely lunch on a blanket while soaking in the sun and fragrance from the flowers.
• MOVEMENT DATE: Try a new dance or yoga class and enjoy working up a sweat; then treat yourself to an exotic fruit smoothie or an iced hibiscus rose tea. (Live in NC? Join me for Wild Souls Authentic Movement on Sundays.)
• NATURE DATE: Enjoy a dip (or a cold plunge) at a nearby spring-fed pool, river or lake, then relax on a blanket for some lazy cloud gazing. Pick up some macadamia nuts and dried apricots beforehand for a snack.
• CULTURE DATE: Explore your local museum or an interesting gallery exhibit, then discover a new ethnic restaurant.
• JOURNALING DATE: Browse your local independent bookstore, pick out a beautiful, inspiring journal and head to a new coffee shop to reflect/write on what you’re grateful for or have recently learned about yourself. 

This week, when contemplating what you’d most like to do, I challenge you to do it differently. Consider what would feel absolutely nurturing and delightful.  And, when in doubt, do less. 

You can find more of my favorite solo dates, exercises for reconnecting with who you are and suggested mini-retreats in my award-winning self-care primer (order a hard copy or download the ebook from my site), The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life.  And check out my TV interview for additional ideas on solo dates.  Drop me a line, I’d love to hear how your solo date unfolds. 

Warmly,

I’D LOVE TO SUPPORT YOU! OFFERINGS TO HELP YOU PRIORITIZE SELF-CARE:

• *NEW* Oct. 16-18 ~ Awaken Your Wild Soul: Reclaim Your Purpose, Power & Inner Wisdom ~ A Women’s Self-Renewal Retreat. Join me at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in the Berkshire Mountains of MA during peak leaf color for the ultimate fall deep self-care retreat. Learn more/register here. 
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Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by transformational coach/author/speaker and self-care evangelist Renée Peterson Trudeau. Passionate about helping men and women live more intentionally and find balance through the art/science of self-care, Renee has been facilitating high-impact, interactive workshops for Fortune 500 companies, national nonprofits/conferences and organizations/teams worldwide for 25 years. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Fast Company, Good Housekeeping, US News & World Report, AARP, Spirituality & Health and more. She and her team have certified more than 450 facilitators in 10 countries around the globe to lead self-renewal groups/retreats based on her pioneering self-care curriculum. She’s the author of several books on life balance including the award-winning The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life. Renee and her husband live in Western North Carolina and they have one son in New York City. Her latest venture is Wild Souls Nature Adventures. More on Renee here.