If your social media feeds are anything like mine, you might be seeing lots of recommended posts about solo dates. However, in case yours are nothing like mine, a solo date is when you plan a day to yourself to do activities that are focused on your interests.
Every video I saw about them started with a recap of the creator’s day, and ended with them being absolutely over the moon about how much fun and relaxation they experienced. As someone who doesn’t take much time for self-care, I was intrigued by the benefits that everyone seemed to be raving about. I decided to test it myself.
My solo date took place on a Sunday afternoon, and I only planned the first half of it, deciding to leave the rest up to what I felt like doing in the moment. Beginning with the planned part of my solo date, I went to the annual Pittsburgh Art Book Fair at the Carnegie Museum of Art, a free local event. Afterwards, I just started doing things for fun. I stopped by the Carnegie Public Library because it’s one of my favorite places close to campus. I was there for quite a while; I browsed the shelves for a bit and read a book by the windows that look into the Museum of Natural History (if you haven’t been to CPL yet, what are you doing? It’s actually the best). Before I ended my date and returned to my dorm, I sat in Schenley Plaza for a bit to just people watch.
Here’s What I learned:
I found very early on in my date that I was enjoying myself immensely, and I felt awesome afterwards, just like the internet said I would. A solo date is a really great option for self-care as a college student. Since you’re planning the date for yourself, it’s easy to work around your schedule and make it convenient for you. In addition, solo dates can be arranged to be relatively inexpensive. A popular idea for many solo dates is a trip to the museum. As a Pitt student, you have access to museums with either free or discounted admission, and the same is likely true at other colleges. You can also engage in local events that are entirely free.
The best part of a solo date is that it’s completely personalized. Even though there are popular ideas for solo dates, like going to a museum or something local, the solo date structure understands that that’s not everyone’s scene. For example, as I stated earlier, a big chunk of my solo date was devoted to hanging out at the Carnegie Public Library because I personally find that interesting. Solo dates are all about prioritizing you, which is something we should all do more often.