41 Solo Date Ideas To Cultivate Self-Love and Self-Care

7 min readJun 23, 2022

The most important relationship in your life is the one you have with yourself.

But thanks to daily distractions, work, friends and family it is getting harder and harder to spend quality time by ourselves.

So if you are long overdue a catch-up with your mind, body and soul, I recommend you schedule in a solo date this week.

Whether you’re single, loved up or “it’s complicated” spend some quality time with yourself and become your own best friend with these solo date ideas.

Why date yourself?

Spending quality time with yourself is the best form of self-love.

Self-love is the love you have for yourself no matter what. It’s learning to not judge yourself and to love yourself unconditionally despite your flaws, imperfections or failures.

But thanks to daily life and distractions, a lot of our love is placed on the relationships around us.

We tend to make more effort working on a relationship with a loved one, family member or friend and forget that we also need to care for ourselves.

We end up neglecting our own needs in favour of taking care of others and catering to their needs. Our boundaries become non-existent and our well-being suffers.

So, it’s essential that you continue to cultivate self-love daily and value your own well-being and happiness above everything else.

And what better way to show yourself some enriching love than by taking yourself out on a date.

Spending quality time alone deepens the connection you have with your mind, body and soul. You gain a greater sense of awareness of your likes and dislikes and learn about the things you enjoy doing.

Checking in with yourself often helps to strengthen your personality and habits to stop you from being easily influenced by others around you.

You will also get super comfortable being with yourself which in turn will increase confidence. Not to mention, you will be reminded just how amazing you are.

How to date yourself

Dating yourself is probably way easier than dating someone else as the only person you need to please, is you! You know what you like and don’t like so it’s basically already a successful date.

But it can feel a little daunting getting started, so here are a few tips:

First things first, schedule your solo date into your calendar. Choose a day with the least distractions and responsibilities so you can pay full attention to yourself
Write it down so it becomes real. By seeing it written down you are reminded about your date daily and it keeps you accountable
Take your solo date seriously and treat it like you would a proper date — make that commitment to yourself and show yourself that love
Make it special by getting dressed up or wearing your favourite outfit
Talk about your solo date with friends to build excitement (you never know, you might encourage them to do the same)

What are the 41 best solo date ideas?

When I lived in London, my favourite thing to do at the weekend was to take myself on a date and spend some quality time with myself learning more about myself and what I enjoyed doing without the influence of other people.

I spent way too much time working that when I had time off I found myself just lying in bed watching mindless TV shows. And to be perfectly honest with you, this didn’t do anything for my self-esteem and it made me feel slightly lazy.

And when I wasn’t in bed, I would be out drinking with friends and probably doing what they preferred to do because of my people-pleasing ways.

So starting to date myself gave me back my passion for the things I enjoyed and made me intentional with how I spent my downtime.

My favourite solo date ideas were the ones where I could spend time alone away from my home. Whether that was going on a long walk around London, heading to an art exhibition or booking myself into a matinée show on The West End. Honestly, spending time solo is super underrated.

You have more time to think, read, people watch and look into the future.

I became my own best friend!

Sure, people may look at you and wonder why you’re by yourself, but once you build up the confidence to be alone, other people’s opinions of you won’t matter.

So get comfortable with sitting and eating by yourself. Take a book along with you to keep you company. This will also stop you from looking awkward and worrying about what others think.

Without further ado let’s dive right into the best things to do by yourself on a solo date.

Enjoy!

Playful solo date ideas

Go to an art exhibition or museum
Catch a movie at the cinema, get there early and treat yourself to some popcorn
Book yourself into a matinee or evening show at the theatre
Get all dressed up and head to the opera or ballet
Sign up for an in-person creative workshop like a candle-making or flower arranging class
Spend an afternoon in the library getting lost and reading books
Tour a winery and go wine-tasting — just get someone to pick you up afterwards
Go to an outdoor food market or festival and eat guilt-free
Create a fun, sing-a-long playlist and go for a long drive
Sign up for a beginner rock climbing class
Attend a dance lesson solo and find a partner to dance with while you’re there
Be a tourist for the day in your closest city and go to all the major hotspots. Consider scheduling a guided tour or hopping onto a sightseeing bus
Push yourself out of your comfort zone and do a sky-dive or bungee-jump
Dance the night away in a jazz bar

Refreshing solo date ideas

Book yourself onto an in-person cooking class
Hike to a picturesque viewpoint and scream at the top of your lungs when you get to the top
Go on your own solo adventure abroad or in your home country. Tell your friends/family where you are going and check in with them every so often but try and unplug as best you can. Spend time truly with yourself and zero distractions
Take yourself to the beach for the day — dip your feet in the sea, collect seashells and just sit on the sand listening to the crashing of the waves
Have a favourite football team or sport? Buy one ticket and watch a live game — scream your heart out!
Make or buy your favourite nibbles, bake a cake and head down to the park for a solo picnic (this was honestly my favourite thing to do in summer)
Head to a viewpoint to watch the sunset — pack a blanket to keep your body warm and take your favourite drink to keep your soul warm
Go on a bike ride and pick wildflowers on the way
Go seasonal fruit picking (think apples or strawberries) and bake a sweet treat with your selection
Attend a pottery workshop
Go and see your favourite musician or band play in concert
Try a new fitness class like acro or aerial yoga or even pole dancing
Head to a comedy show or open-mic night

Nourishing solo date ideas

Put on an audiobook and go on a hot girl walk — hot girl in the sense that it’s a sweaty one
Grab your favourite fiction book and head to a café
Wake up early and spend the morning at your local pool doing lengths and focusing on your journey
Book yourself into the spa for a day or weekend — treat yourself to a couple of treatments
Go on a 3-day digital detox and stay in a cabin in the middle of nowhere
Make yourself a three-course dinner, light some candles, put on some mellow music and add wine
Book yourself into a fancy hotel, have a bath, wear “the robe” and order room service
Attend a motivational talk by one of your favourite educators or speakers
Go for a day out at a National Trust location and learn about the local history
Volunteer at an animal shelter or local soup kitchen
Spend the day in nature
Book a staycation at a remote Air Bnb and enjoy having your own space, and peace and quiet
Attend a hot yoga or pilates class
Do something you have always wanted to do but never got round to doing

Final thoughts

There are so many benefits to taking yourself out on dates and spending quality time with yourself.

So if you are long overdue a catch up with your mind, body and soul, I hope this list of solo date ideas will inspire you to cultivate the self-love and self-care you deserve.

Get to know yourself that extra bit more and nourish your well-being.

I can’t wait to hear about your solo date(s) and which ideas from this list sparked joy the most.

Until next week,

Thalia xx

Disclaimer: Please note, this post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links then I will be rewarded at no extra cost to you. Any money earned through affiliates will be put towards running my blog and newsletter.