"When you’re single, it can be hard to romanticize your life. Sometimes, it feels like the world revolves around couples—cute date ideas and relationship goals plastered all over social media are hard to ignore. As a single girly myself, I know how easy it is to let loneliness get to you. But I’m here to remind you: That feeling is fleeting, and there are so many ways to fill the space and romanticize your life all on your own. By learning to love your life without the help of anyone else’s presence, you’ll cherish every day, whether you end up in a relationship or not.
Why not flip the script and turn your single era into a real-life season of The Bachelorette? There’s no better time than the present to find yourself, dive into your own passions, and take yourself on a date. All it takes is a little mindfulness, plus a few ideas for romanticizing your life. If you’re in your single girl era just like I am, read on for some tried and true ways to harness your inner Carrie Bradshaw.
1. Take yourself on dates
It’s no secret that missing out on dates is a huge part of what can make single life seem more dreary than a relationship. Consider this your reminder that you can and should take yourself on dates. Learning to do things alone will teach you confidence and power that you wouldn’t otherwise learn. Plus, when you love your own company, your standards for anyone entering into your life are higher because why accept anything that you can already give yourself? So take yourself to that paint-and-sip class or the new restaurant that just opened up.
From doing an activity that requires solo focus to seeing the movie no one else wants to see with you, solo dates allow you to truly enjoy yourself. No compromise—just your own interests and you against the world. If you need some inspo, here’s a few solo date ideas to get you started:
- Explore a festival or farmers market
- Read by the ocean, lake, or pool
- Go for a bike ride
- Take yourself to a patio for drinks or food (or both!)
2. Go on a lot of hot girl walks
Picture this: Iced Latte. Headphones. Sunglasses. Some shorts and a cute little tank. This is the perfect formula for the ultimate hot girl walk. It’s finally time to let that “main character” playlist shine. Let yourself get lost in thought, connect with your favorite music, and explore a new neighborhood or a trail you’ve been meaning to check out. Going on these walks by yourself gives you a certain peace and quiet (minus the Sabrina Carpenter song in your headphones). Whether you want to dive into some serious inner reflection or just romanticize your life by acting like you’re being filmed in a coming-of-age movie, these walks can provide you with as much clarity or relaxation as you’d like. And the best part about going solo? You can stop whenever you want.
3. Learn a new skill
When you’re in a rut, an easy way to pull yourself out is to learn a new skill or hobby. Try out that dance class you’ve always wanted or join your neighborhood pickleball league. Not only will your quality of life improve, but your time will also feel well-spent and purposeful. Plus, it’s the perfect way to meet new people—and who doesn’t want new friends, whether you’re cuffed or not?!
The key here is to be present in these new experiences. Appreciate the fact that even if you can’t seem to get the hang of pottery to save your life, you’re learning something about yourself in the process, and that’s what matters the most. Fail miserably and laugh about it—that’s part of the fun of single life! Even if the end product isn’t exactly what you imagined, it’s the process that really matters. If you’re in search of a new hobby, consider trying one of these:
- Learn to crochet
- Learn a new recipe
- Take a dance class
- Take a drawing or painting class
- Learn to play an instrument
4. Go out (or stay in) with the girls
When in doubt, a girls’ night is always the way to go. A night out with the besties is good for the soul. Food, drinks, games—whatever you can do to let loose and have a sore stomach by the end of the night from one too many belly laughs. If you want to opt for staying in with the girls, you can create a theme night with cocktails and snacks or just put on your favorite rom-com, pour some wine, and stay up all night talking. Either way, you’re surrounding yourself with the people you know you can truly be yourself with, and there’s no better feeling. Appreciate those moments because time with your girls is something truly irreplaceable.
Pro tip: Bring your digital camera or buy a disposable one so that you can remember every girls’ night in and out. The pictures will have you reminiscing (and laughing) anytime you look back on them.
5. Buy yourself flowers
Because as Miley Cyrus says, why wait for someone else to do it for you? Take the trip to your local farmers market or Trader Joe’s, and pick out everything from your base greenery to your absolute favorite mix of flowers—plus the wrapping or vase of your choice. Keep them somewhere where you can see them every day as a reminder of self-love and appreciating the little things.
6. Go to those aesthetic “date” spots
I think we all have some cool cafes, libraries, and parks saved in a folder on our TikToks or Instagrams, and it’s high time we cleared those off our to-do list. Like, seriously, that one coffee shop you’ve been dying to go to since before you even moved to your current city? It’s past time. Visit the places you’ve always wanted to go because waiting around for someone to go with you isn’t worth it. These “date spots” are what you make them and can be a shared or solo experience. Bring a friend, or bring a book, and just be. Let yourself experience the moment with no concerns about how a date is going or if the person across from you is having a good time.
7. Practice mindfulness
One thing that truly changed my everyday single-girl life was learning about the practice of mindfulness. I always try to tap into “The Art of Noticing,” which basically means tuning into my own life on a higher level. By just noticing the small, everyday things and being in the moment, my life is instantly romanticized. Whenever you walk anywhere, take the extra second to look around, notice your surroundings, and take it all in. Mindfulness and the art of noticing can be applied to any activity that you want to romanticize, from cooking to spending time with loved ones to, yes, showering or doing your skincare routine. This is the mindset hack that will allow you to romanticize your life even in the everyday moments.
8. Go on a solo trip or stay-cation
A great way to break from your norm and switch up your routine a bit is to take yourself on some kind of solo trip. Whether you can explore somewhere new or just opt for a staycation, either experience will allow you to explore and be at peace with yourself. Head to a new city that you’ve been meaning to visit at your own pace. You can shop, walk around, or eat at four different restaurants all in one night—because you’re all on your own, and no one can stop you.
If you opt to stay close to home, plan a staycation for yourself nearby. Book a hotel in a different neighborhood to romanticize the experience of living in your own city or town. Order room service and wrap yourself up in a complimentary robe. Enjoy the peace and quiet, read a book, or just take a much-needed nap. Too often, couples get all the fun with anniversary trips and honeymoons—this is basically like a honeymoon just for you.
9. Treat yourself to an at-home spa day
Everyone loves a little pampering. Devote an entire evening to a thorough spa day to seriously romanticize your life. Start with an everything shower, then do a hair mask (and let it cook). Finish it off with ice rolling your face and doing the entirety of your skincare routine. Try out one of those foot masks, and watch in satisfaction (or maybe horror) at the dead skin it surfaces. Pedicure, manicure, you know it. Take it slow, and experience every little bit of relaxation each step gives you. Talk about feeling brand new—especially if you’re newly single, a spa day is the single-easiest way to romanticize your life.
10. Start a journal
A lot of the chatter about “romanticizing your life” has to do with reflecting, thinking, and being present. This is all well and good, but being in our heads too much can be overwhelming, and starting to journal is a great way to express and release those emotions. There are no rules or guides, no rights or wrongs—just a blank page for you to use for your stream-of-consciousness. You can reflect on your day, your feelings, things you are questioning, or what you’re loving about your life right now.
Make journaling a part of your daily routine by giving yourself a time limit and a prompt. Let yourself write for five minutes about whatever you’re feeling that day, or write about your favorite memories or events from the past few days or weeks. Plus, since journaling provides a little memory book of where you are in your life right now, it’s one of the easiest ways to romanticize your life.
11. Wear pajama sets
I know there are some of my fellow sleepy girls out there who are also living for their horizontal time. Romanticizing your night routine not only makes you feel more relaxed but also more in tune with your own sensuality—because someone else doesn’t need to be there for you to still have a hot night in. Although there are often nights when there’s nothing more I want than to slip on some sweatpants and a big T-shirt, there’s just something about putting on a little matching set that feels so good. Maybe it’s the Blair Waldorf vibes it gives or just the extra time spent doing so, but it truly makes you feel like the main character in your own life again. Plus, you’ll wake up feeling better, too.
12. Romanticize your breakfast
I would love to call this one “make yourself breakfast in bed,” but let’s be honest, some of us are strict about eating anything in bed—getting any type of crumbs on my sheets is actually my worst nightmare. What really matters is starting your day by making the ultimate breakfast spread for yourself—now that is how to romanticize your life. Turn on some music and really chef it up. Eggs, pancakes, waffles, hash browns, fresh fruit, the whole thing—pretend like you’re a teen in a Disney television show waking up to a full spread (except you’re actually going to eat it). Often, feeding ourselves can feel a little mundane and dull, which is why it’s so important to romanticize this aspect of your morning routine.
13. Create a vision board
Amid all this reflecting and mindfulness, it’s also important to remind yourself of the end goal. Romanticizing your single life is all about finding your passions and interests and learning about yourself. And once you dig deep like that, you begin to find what you want in the future. Here’s where the vision board comes in. Bringing these hopes and dreams into physical, tangible reality helps you manifest all the possibilities of your future.
Choose what aspects you really want to focus on and bring them to life. Whether it’s made digitally through a collage software like Canva or an actual poster if you’re feeling crafty, this board is meant to give you hope and inspiration for what’s to come. Travel, career, lifestyle, fashion—it all comes together to give you a checkered finish line to aim for, providing that much more meaning to every single day.