5 Tips to Spend an Evening Alone Without Feeling Lonely

Some people are more comfortable spending time on their own than others.

For me, I like time on my own to recharge, but I definitely thrive on spending time with my friends and family too. As an overthinker, I can easily get in my head if I spend too much time alone!

I recently read a fantastic post from Della about the importance of spending time on your own, and it made me think about the ways I look after myself whenever I take time for myself.

Since moving out of my parents’ house, I have spent a little more time alone, such as when my partner is out for the evening or I don’t have plans to visit family. As someone who can sometimes find it hard to spend time alone, I found this idea daunting at first.

However, there are a few ways to feel confident and spend a full evening by yourself without feeling lonely.

In this post, I’ve put together 5 fun tips to make sure the next time you spend an evening alone, you can do it without feeling lonely!

There are lots of ways to enjoy time alone, such as:

  1. Plan ahead
  2. Take time for yourself
  3. Arrange social meet-ups
  4. Pop on a podcast
  5. Chat with a friend

Let’s take a look at these ideas in a bit more detail…

1. Plan ahead

Plan what your evening is going to look like! A little structure can go a long way, and I’ve found the best way to spend an evening alone is to know what I’m going to do with my evening.

This might be as simple as reminding yourself to go for a gym workout or pop to the shops for some food, but it’s great to have a few ideas of how you want to spend your alone time.

Keeping yourself busy is the best way to avoid feeling lonely.

2. Take this time for yourself

Do you have work to catch up on? Or is there something you want to do that’s harder when everyone’s at home?

You might want to have an undisturbed bath, complete your skincare routine or take time to make yourself a fancy meal.

Woman pours ingredients into a frying pan

Don’t see an evening alone as a time to be lonely. See it as a time to do exactly what you want with your time.

3. Arrange social meet-ups

It always makes me feel better if I know I have something social coming up in the next few days, so I know I won’t be spending too much time alone.

Message your friends or family to arrange something later in the week or at the weekend. This means you still have plenty coming up on the social calendar. This can help you feel less lonely when you spend an evening alone.

4. Pop on a podcast

For me, it’s much easier to spend an evening alone without feeling lonely when I have something on in the background. That could mean the radio or a podcast or just a video about something that interests you.

Person lays back and listens to a retro radio alone

It can be so comforting to have a voice in the background, and growing up we always had the radio on at home.

For me, I love playing Netflix in the background. I usually choose something comforting like ‘Gilmore Girls’ that I’ve watched a million times, as it breaks the silence and stops me from feeling lonely.

5. Chat with a friend

It still counts as an evening alone if you talk to a friend! Sometimes you just want to chat over messenger for a bit, or sometimes it’s nice to call a loved one that you’ve not spoken to for a bit.

My friend did this the last time I spent a long evening alone, and it really made a difference. Chat with a friend or message your family if you need a bit of fun conversation to brighten up your night.

How do you like to spend your evenings alone? Do you find that you get lonely when you spend an evening alone? What is your favourite thing to do when you spend an evening alone?

Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below 🙂

Happy reading x

64 thoughts

  1. This is a fantastic post! I love the sentiment. I’ve always been good at spending time on my own, and in fact I tend to get so used to it I forget to socialise. That’s a really great idea to make future plans for socialising and I think I may need to start doing that so that I don’t isolate myself too much. Don’t get me wrong, I love socialising, but when I get into the pattern of spending too much time on my own, it’s easy to get stuck in it. Great post!

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. I love some me time. My husband sometimes has to work nights while I always work during the wee hours of the morning, so I’m often left by myself. I’ve come to learn that it’s a great opportunity to get work done and even finish some projects around the house. Not to mention I can watch what ever I want!

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  5. I enjoy spending the occasional day alone and I look forward to these days! Planning is key to make the time seem extra special. Great post and thanks for sharing.

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  6. I used to spend a LOT of my time alone when I didn’t work due to anxiety and everyone else in my house did. I hated it back then but since I’ve been better mentally, I crave alone time and can rarely get it! I’d love a whole evening to myself with no-one else about to have a bath, a pamper, watch a movie and order a takeaway!

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  9. There was a time whereby I couldn’t cope with being alone, but nowadays I prefer it. I know longer feel lonely when alone. My porblem is not having something to do with my time. I often need to do multiple things at once just to keep my mind busy

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  13. Loving this post! I think it’s quite easy to become use to having people around so when their not, it can be quite lonely. I always try to take time for myself when I’m alone, listen to some music and try to enjoy the peace and quiet lol. Thank you so much for sharing this Xo

    Elle – ellegracedeveson.com

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  14. I love the idea of putting a plan in place to make spending time alone more structured, so it feels less lonely. Whenever I spent an evening alone, I always concentrate on myself and do what makes me feel relaxed and comfortable. This is often a hot bath, a face mask and a full body moisturiser, with some candles and my fave tv show or movie!x

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    1. Thank you, I think it can help to make sure every hour is accounted for and you don’t have time to make yourself feel alone or lonely 🙂 that sounds fantastic, a moisturise and calming bath sounds amazing, especially with the changing weather x

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  18. for me, i love spending time with the right people. and i’m always in need of a good recharge after an outing. i’ve learned to appreciate my own company. great points mentioned here! thanks for sharing.

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  19. Love all of these tips! I really enjoy spending my time alone, so I usually pop on some music or a podcast and get reading. Or have a tv show on. I think spending time alone is so important x

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  20. Great post! I am pretty comfortable spending time alone, however with the pandemic, it’s been harder. Putting on a podcast makes a huge difference! Sometimes when I don’t want something playing on TV, I’ll put on a podcast. Thanks for this post!

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  21. Great post! I have a small group of people I love spending time with, but equally I love spending time on my own and I think it’s really important to have a balance of each. The podcasts on Audible are my new thing! I love finding new ones, especially about blogging 🙂

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  23. This is a fab post lovely. I’ll also check out Della’s post in a minute.

    I spend a lot of time on my own. Not through choice, but without any friends (cue the tiny violin!) I’ve come to appreciate my own company. It’s about being alone but not lonely, and it’s great to think of the ways to make that time more enjoyable. You can actually come to really appreciate the time on your own, the way you can do what you want, how you can hog all the blankets and eat all the chocolate if you’re watching a film. You come to feel more independent too I think.

    I like something on in the as well. I’ve never done podcasts though so I’ll have to give them a go. I just opt for music, radio or something on TV. Easy going TV like Gilmore Girls (something I used to love watching!) is definitely helpful too as you feel a part of those characters’ lives in a strange but comforting way.

    Caz xx

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    1. I recommend Della’s post it’s great 🙂 that makes sense, I think it depends what stage of life you’re in and making sure that time alone is cherished rather than hated! Yes I love that, and independence is something we should all strive for, I agree. Popping the TV on always calms me, and it can just get a bit sad when it’s super silent in the house. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, I think this will help others in the same position x

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  25. This is a great post.

    I personally love alone time & sometimes get up early when the house is quiet. It’s lovely.

    Some useful tips here. I love Podcasts at the moment and play them whilst in the bath!

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  30. To think of it, I never experience having evenings alone in my whole life yet. In Asian countries, we still live with our parents even if we are adult because it is more expensive to rent somewhere. Sometimes, I also wonder what is the feeling of living independently. It’s not forever that I can live with my parents and I will have a life of my own.

    Thanks for sharing your tips. Netflix is a good idea and a chat with friend. 😀

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    1. That makes sense, I think time alone is important when you need a bit of privacy to recharge, but I can imagine it’s also nice to be around family, especially during these difficult times. Thank you!

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  33. I’m an only child, so I’m used to being alone at home. I do understand when some people think my life is boring and lonely but it’s quite the opposite. I can be myself and have fun in whatever way I want. It’s the best. Love these tips! I sure love to cook and watch a good movie. Thanks for sharing xo

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  35. I wish I’d learned this sooner. I am used to having someone around because I grew up with several siblings and I live with my boyfriend. When I am alone I do love to watch movies or read.

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  37. Quite a few amazing items to spending time alone. My favourite things to do is either watch a film or read a book. Thank you for sharing these other ideas.

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