Today, many women are plunging into a new, self-love-centered approach to their singleness, where they’re enriching their life with new experiences that come with solo dating.
Solo dating allows you to pursue your passions, discover new interests, and treat yourself to experiences that speak to your inner desires and curiosities. Whether hiking through nature, exploring a museum, or savoring a delicious meal you cooked, solo dates are all about celebrating who you are and enjoying the moments you create for yourself — on your own terms.
Embracing your singleness and finding joy in solo dating is a powerful way to reclaim your independence and build a deeper connection with yourself. In a world that often emphasizes relationships, soft launches, and social media-worthy proposals, taking time to appreciate your own company in the “in-between” season can be incredibly fulfilling.
From women new to the solo dating world to seasoned romantics looking for your next spontaneous adventure, we’ve locked down some of the best solo date ideas to inspire you to make the most of your time alone and turn self-care into a fun and enriching journey.
26 Solo Date Ideas
Have a picnic in the park.
Photo by Vladimir Yelizarov on UnsplashHiking: Enjoy nature and the fresh, open trails on a local hike for one.
Picnic in the Park: Pack your favorite snacks, a book, and a journal. Find a scenic spot and relax under the sun.
Be a Beach Bum for the Day: Spend a day at the beach, swimming, sunbathing, or walking along the shore. It's perfect for unwinding and enjoying the ocean breeze.
Farmer’s Market: Spend a Saturday or Sunday at your local farmer’s market to stock up on fresh produce and support small businesses in your area.
Explore the Art Museum: There’s always a new exhibit to explore at an art museum near you. Immerse yourself in a museum's creativity, art, and culture — take your time appreciating each exhibit.
Plan a day trip or a weekend away.
Photo by Jakob Owens on UnsplashTake a Photography Walk: Bring your camera or phone along to capture interesting and scenic sights around your city or neighborhood.
Get Crafty: Try your hand at a DIY or craft project like painting, knitting, or making charm bracelet/necklace jewelry. It's a great way to express creativity.
Take a Pottery Class: Unleash your inner artisan and take a pottery class. The best part? You get to take your new art home with you.
Sit in on a Lecture or Workshop: Attend a lecture or workshop on a topic that interests you. It's a great way to learn something new and meet like-minded people.
Solo Travel: Plan a day trip or weekend getaway to a nearby city or town you've never visited before. Fully embrace the tourist life.
Stretch it out with a yoga class.
Photo by madison lavern on UnsplashLibrary Day: Visit your local library, find a cozy spot, and get lost in a good book you might not have thought to check out.
Stretch it out With a Yoga Class: Join a yoga class for some relaxation and stretching. It's a wonderful way to connect with your body and mind.
Treat Yourself to a Spa Day: Book a massage, facial, or other special treatments. It's the ultimate self-care experience.
Chef it Up: Pick a recipe you've never tried before and spend the evening cooking a delicious meal for yourself.
Coffee Shop Hopping: Coffee lovers tap in! This solo date idea is perfect if you want to sit in a few local coffee shops, try different drinks, and enjoy the ambiance while people-watching.
Indulge in a wine-tasting experience.
Photo by Tim L. Productions on UnsplashWine-Tasting: Indulge in a fancy wine-tasting experience. Put on your finest threads, get glammed up, and enjoy the ease of a few sips of your (new) favorite wine.
Find Your Next Second-Hand Treasure: Find flea markets or estate sales and see what gently-loved item you’ll find.
Go Book Shopping: Are you a bookworm or want to get back into your reading list? Spend a few hours in a bookstore, exploring different genres, and finding a new book to read.
Bilinuage Queen: Take a foreign language class and brush up or learn a new language.
Pasta Making Class: What’s not to love about getting your hands a little dirty while rolling up pasta? Not to mention, you get to eat your creation later.
Movie/Netflix Night: Go to a movie theater or set up a cozy home cinema and watch a film you've been wanting to see.
Explore a new part of your city.
Photo by Good Faces on UnsplashSolo Concert or Live Show: It can be intimidating to attend a concert, play, or live performance by yourself, but worth it. Enjoy the experience of live entertainment you won’t forget.
Courtside Hottie: Go to a home game to support your local basketball or baseball team. Popcorn, hot dogs, and drinks are a must.
Comedy Show: Find a local comedy club and enjoy a night of laughs and fun.
Explore a New Part of Your City: If you live in New York, spend the day in a borough outside of your own. In Chicago, you can take an architecture tour or even take a water taxi to Chinatown. Live in a small town? Take the long way home and adventure out to a part of town known for its food or nightlife.
People-Watching By the Water: Take a day to sit by the water or beachside and journal your thoughts.
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Again, the answer never changes because, if there is one thing that Shellie Reneé Warren is gonna get, it’s 6-8 (sometimes nine) hours of sleep. However, since my chronotype (check out “Ever Wonder What Personality Traits Make Someone A 'Morning Person'?”) means that I like/prefer to write in the wee hours of the morning, sometimes I will sleep for the night for five hours and take a nap in the day. And y’all, that is just fine with me because I am well aware of the fact that napping does everything from give me more energy, heighten my alertness and even make me more creative to decrease stress levels, strengthen immunity, and reduce my chances of experiencing a heart attack or stroke.
My problem is I will oftentimes go “overboard” with my daytime zzz’s. What I mean by that is, in order to get the most out of a nap, they say thatyou shouldn’t sleep for longer than 25 minutes or so; otherwise, you could wake up feeling sluggish (I don’t but…). Also, it can make resting, soundly, at night a bit of a struggle.
So, what are you saying, Shellie? We should get quickies in? Yeah. And it’s funny that the word “quickie” would come up because just like a sex quickie can do wonders for you (and it can — check out “12 Super Solid Reasons To Have A Quickie Every Single Day”), it’s a full-circle moment when I say that something that can improve the quality of your sex life is to have a power nap (a nap that lasts between 10-30 minutes).
Wanna know how the two things correlate? Honestly, it’s no secret that sleep and sex work together to optimize both (check out “6 Fascinating Ways Sex And Sleep Definitely Go Hand In Hand”). Today, though, we’re going to tap into how a nap, specifically, can have you partaking in some of the best sex that you’ve experienced in a minute. I’ll explain.
Naps Reduce Stress
GiphyIf you’re feeling super stressed out right now, you are not alone. There is plenty of data out here that says that most of us are stressed for at least a couple of reasons at a time — and that can impact your sexual health on a few levels. For one thing, it can bring about feelings of depression and/or anxiety. Stress can also throw your hormone levels off (including your cycle) which can weaken your libido. Stress can make you want to put distance between you and your partner (yes, literally).
Stress can also make it challenging to get aroused or to have an orgasm. And just what can help to decrease stress? Taking a nap. Since sleep has a way of helping you to “get off of the clock” and relax a bit, that can lower your stress levels and “reset” your body so that you are calmer — and that, in turn, can do wonders for your sex drive and ultimately your sex life.
Naps Improve Your Mood
GiphyThere is one person in my life, and fairly 80 percent of the time, she’s in a super good mood. Oh, but let that girl go without sleep, and…who is this woman? LOL. There’s research behind why this happens. When a person is sleep-deprived, it messes with their brain chemicals, and that can amplify emotions like anger, restlessness and sadness. In fact, one study revealed that people who had their sleep disrupted throughout the night, they ended up having their positive outlook on life reduced by about 30 percent.
And geeze, who wants to have sex when they’re not feeling very good? Anyway, since serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps to regulate your moods, your sleep patterns, and your libido and sleep is what helps to keep it in balance — by taking a nap, not only can it help you to feel better, it can also increase your desire for sex (it can also build up your endurance which is also…sexually beneficial).
Naps Increase Your Focus and Concentration
GiphySomething that some of my clients bring up is how, when it comes to having sex, sometimes the flesh is willing while the spirit is weak because, although the desire for intimacy is there, so much is going on that they aren’t able to get still enough to focus on experiencing copulation with their partner. This also tracks because, when you don’t have enough rest, your brain finds itself not working in harmony and that can make it hard to do everything from approaching life with a sense of flexibility to making necessary decisions.
Certain data also reveal that a lack of rest can cause you to have a really poor attention span and not process things in context (the more you know). So, if you really want to get some yet it’s hard for you to focus long enough to make it happen, ask your bae to lie down with you and take a nap. Between the sleep and the snuggling (check out “Fall's Coming: 8 Wonderful Health Benefits Of Cuddling”) — you may wake up with your mind and body totally on the same page. #wink
Naps Can Make You Feel Better About Your Body
GiphyEven if, overall, you feel really good about your body, I think that we all have moments when we feel less attractive than others — and who wants to have sex when they don’t really feel…very sexy? Well, something else that sleep, in general, can do is increase your confidence in your body.
For one thing, if you want to lose a few pounds, sleep can actually make that happen by helping your body metabolize the glucose (sugar) that’s in it so that you can better manage your appetite. Other studies go on to share that since sleep deprivation can impact one’s mental health and emotional stability in a negative way, of course, getting enough rest would increase body positivity.
Shoot, science even goes so far as to say that insomnia can cause people to have an elevated level of dissatisfaction when it comes to their body image. Don’t take their word for it, though. Look in the mirror before a nap. Then look in a mirror after waking up from me. Do you feel better? I’d be surprised if you don’t.
Makes Your Brain Bigger…Which Could Make Your Orgasms Better
GiphyI saved the best for last by design. Now if you’re wondering how in the world a nap can improve (and possibly increase) your orgasms — oh, there is a method to the madness…trust. For starters, the saying that your biggest sex organ is your brain? That isn’t a myth. Long story less long, the brain is what houses your central nervous system and that is what controls how men and women sexually function (yes, literally).
And since the brain also releases feel-good chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin during sex and brain activity significantly increases in women during sexual activity (especially right before she orgasms) — well, would it trip you out to know that when you take a nap, your brain actually expands? A bigger brain (that’s healthy) can potentially intensify your sexual experiences (and your climaxes) — and who doesn’t want that to go down?
____
Like I said earlier, I never have to be convinced to get a nap in. However, if your sex life has been a bit stagnant lately, you’ve been feeling a little sluggish and you’re not sure what to do — I’m hoping that a nap can get you right.
There’s enough science to prove that it can. All you need to do is give it a shot.
Now where’s your pillow and sleep mask, chile?
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