Self-dating: My New Found Love

The idea of self-dating may come off as a little weird to some, but hear me out. Not too long ago, I decided to put the brakes on being in serious relationships to just focus on Jacqueline. It was a tough decision, but ultimately I wanted to experience life on my own and enjoy the fruits of what singleness can bring. One of those fruits, I found out, is self-dating. I didn't formally introduce myself to this concept until today when I literally said out loud "I want to take myself out on a date!" (Ok, I really didn't sound that excited...at first). Then I thought things over and made some ground rules. One of those rules were to dress up and look cute for myself, as if I was getting ready to go out with another person. This tactic worked really well for me. I went into my closet and tried to pick out one of my best ensembles. I pinned up some of my dreads, wore my best earrings, and put on my favorite fragrance. I wanted to look and smell nice, otherwise it wouldn't really feel like a date to me. Plus, it helped me to put forth that extra effort into myself to know that I was worth the extra time and the wait.

For my first proclaimed, official self-date, I went to the movies and took myself out mall shopping :) The down side to it though is either setting a budget or going broke from treating yourself :( However, economical alternatives are available such as a nicely cooked meal at home, renting movies, going out for walks, attending public concerts or other events, etc. There is a broad spectrum of what a person could do to spend some quality, fun time with their-selves. Another thing that I'm thinking about doing is planning at least two days out of a month to go on a self-date. This way, it's easy to have something to look forward to outside of work, family, and friends. Again, it doesn't have to be anything drastic, it can be simple. Most importantly, my goal is to just focus on getting to know "me" better. What am I like? What are my passions? etc. Sometimes, I miss the true meaning behind it and wound up taking myself out on a date and coming back without any new revelation. Then again, if any new revelations aren't found, then I don't see that as such a bad thing. I'm having fun and that's important too.