Alone time, depending on your
personality type, can either be blissfully peaceful or lonely and boring.
Personally, I usually love alone time; us introverts need it to recharge (for
more information on that see the my previous post: How To Care For An Introvert). However, no matter how
much you enjoy small bits of “me time,” no one likes to be alone during the
holidays. So, unfortunately, when
Thanksgiving rolled around and it became clear that going back to Texas just
wasn’t an option, I suddenly had five whole days of solitude on my hands. The
first few hours were nice, but I soon found myself missing the company of my
roommates (both of whom had gone home for the break). I started to get a bit of
cabin fever and at my lowest point, I literally started talking to the
fish I had been suckered into babysitting. So, on that note, here is my list of
the top 10 things to do when you are home alone for the holidays!
1. Think
positive! Feeling sorry for yourself won’t do you any good, so you might as
well try to look on the bright side!
2. Try not to get
too caught up in irrational fears… For example, within the first hour or so of
being left alone I had the thought that if I were to choke on something, no one
would be there to help me and I would die and then no one would find me for
several days. Needless to say I mostly just ate applesauce and ramen after that
thought, just in case…
3. Appreciate
that you can literally do whatever you want and no one will be around to judge
you. You want to watch kids movies all day? Go for it. You feel like planning
your imaginary wedding on Pinterest for hours? More power to you!
4. Know that at
some point, no matter how much Netflix you watch or how many hours you spend on
YouTube, you will get bored. I’m sorry to break it to you, but there comes a
point when even the Internet just isn’t cutting it anymore. Accept the boredom,
it’s all a part of the experience.
5. Call home! I
promise, your family is missing you just as much as you’re missing them. Not
having a family member there for the holidays is hard, so make sure you call
and let them know you’re okay!
6. Take as many
Dance Recesses as possible. If you don’t know what a Dance Recess is, I suggest
you check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iacs6SvjLKo
(you’re welcome in advance). Songs that are
great for a dance recess include: “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift, “You Make My Dreams Come True” by Hall &
Oates, “Tunak Tunak Tun” by Daler Mehndi (just trust me on this one), “Wannabe”
by Spice Girls, “Bootylicious” by Destiny’s Child, literally anything by
Beyoncé, “Somebody Loves You” by Betty Who and “Come On Eileen” by Kevin Rowland & Dexys Midnight Runners.
7. Don’t get too freaked out by being alone, especially at
night. I promise, the weird noise you heard wasn’t an axe murderer coming to
kill you. But it never hurts to lock your door…
8. Venture out into the real world every now and then. Try not
to just stay inside for five days straight; it’s not good for you. No matter
how nice and warm your comfy bed looks, you have to socialize with people or
you will go crazy and start talking to fish.
9. Sleep as much as humanly possible. If you are also a college
student, you understand the beauty of actually being able to get enough sleep,
so take full advantage of this time.
10. Get excited for your roommates to get back! Having so much
time to yourself can really make you appreciate having the company (also you’ll
feel much safer eating solid food again).
