In college there is oftentimes pressure to always be going out and doing something with friends. When I came to college, I expected that I would constantly have plans every weekend. However, I soon was faced with the reality that I did not have people to hang out with every weekend. I just started college and struggled throughout my first quarter to find friends to go out with. Thus, I spent a lot of Saturday nights in my dorm room by myself scrolling through social media and watching all the fun things people were doing. Of course, this made things worse. Being alone shouldn’t be deemed as a “bad” thing, but something to actually look forward to. People are around others a lot during college already, so it’s okay to take some time for yourself! Besides, right by UCLA there are so many different things that one can go and do to spend some time alone and relax.
- Go See A Movie!
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Right in Westwood, built during the 1930s, is the Fox Theater. If you are into movies you definitely need to check it out. Not only do they always have the newest movies playing here, they frequently have movie premieres. You might even be able to catch celebrities walking the red carpet! Going to the movies alone may be intimidating but it is actually a good experience. It feels cathartic to get out, sit back and watch a movie that you’ve been waiting to see. College gets everyone stressed out and watching a movie really makes you calm and lets you set aside the stress of college life for a bit.
- Go Spend A Couple Hours “Floating” Around!
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Located just in the Westwood Village is Float Lab. At Float Lab, one goes into a room for a maximum of two hours and just floats. It is supposed to be an experience where one experiences sensory deprivation. This means that people have the ability to just lie back and not process their external thoughts at the moment. It is open until 11 pm all days of the week, so it is a great opportunity to shut yourself away from the outside world for a while.
- Go To A Yoga Class!
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One of the most relaxing things I do alone is hot yoga at CorePower. Hot yoga may be very sweaty, but it’s a great way to just enjoy yourself and exercise. CorePower Yoga, also located in Westwood Village, has student discount memberships and offers a free week trial to anyone who has never tried it before. Exercise is one of the best de-stress methods and causes your body to forget all the stress happening at school and just focus on the present.
- Netflix And Dessert!
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Sometimes it is always good to have a night in as well and enjoy the many dessert places around UCLA like the popular Diddy Riese. It sometimes feels like in college you don’t have a minute to just take a break, watch Netflix and eat the delicious Diddy Riese cookies. However, if you find yourself alone on a Saturday night, then it is the right time to take advantage and do something productive, like binge watching a whole Netflix series. It is a good way to stay off social media and actually do something that many people do find enjoyable and a tad distracting as well.
- Hang Out At A Coffee Shop With Your Favorite Book!
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You don’t need to go with friends to have an enjoyable time getting coffee. Sometimes books are your best friend. Reading for fun is one thing most college students struggle to find the time for. So if you find yourself alone on a Saturday night, reading is the perfect answer! There are several coffee shops in Westwood like Ministry of Coffee or even the Kerckhoff Coffee House right on campus!
Of course, there are several more things that I did not include on this list that are enjoyable to do alone. Overall, people need to know that they are not alone. A lot of people feel like they are the only ones on Saturday night that don’t have anything to do, but that is actually far from true. There are many other girls that are going through the same thing….and it’s okay!