How to be Happy Alone at Home: Games, Plans, and Hobbies

Depending on your personality, spending time alone could be one of your favorite pastimes or one of your biggest nightmares. But whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, the ability to be satisfied alone is a great skill for everyone to learn. You probably don’t even realize all the benefits of doing things alone! It’s a great way to find passions, relieve stress, and independently challenge yourself.

Being alone is not the same as being lonely

It’s a common misconception that being alone is synonymous with loneliness. It may seem like a semantic argument, but in reality is a rather large difference. Being alone refers to the physical state of being separated from other people. Whereas loneliness describes feelings of isolation caused by your social needs not being met.

Alone time lets you step back from the stress of life and creates opportunities for reflection, independent achievement, and relaxation. In fact, a study conducted by the University of Reading found that those who spent more time alone had increased feelings of reduced stress and feelings of freedom. There are plenty of other benefits as well, so let’s delve further into the individual benefits of spending time alone.

Great for self-reflection and relaxation

There’s rarely a better time to focus on yourself and your mental and physical health than when you are spending time alone. Surprisingly, most people find solo activities relaxing. In a survey of nearly 20,000 people conducted by the BBC, “being on your own" was in the top three most restful activities — even ahead of watching TV and meditating.

Sometimes you just need to take a step back from everyone else to feel better. You could relieve some stress and relax by doing some exercise, completing a crossword, or taking a long bath. You could also start a journal to write down some thoughts or meditate in silence to help zero in on something that’s been bothering you. The key is focusing on yourself and your needs, and allowing yourself to heal.

Focus on personal growth

Having time to yourself to focus on your personal growth and acquiring the skills you need to achieve what you want is also important. Stress-relieving practices like meditation and deep breathing exercises are opportunities to clarify the growth you want and how you can best achieve it.

Take steps toward that growth by pursuing a new set of skills. Want to learn to code, strengthen cooking skills, learn a new language, or play an instrument? Carving out time for yourself gives you the chance to practice these skills and continuously improve yourself for the future. Create a routine around these practices so you can develop a healthy habit, and start realizing those goals!

Enjoy activities without distraction

Solitary activities are also a reliable way to enjoy hobbies or get work done without distraction. Working alone provides you the ability to fully concentrate and focus without worrying about other peoples’ input, noisy disruptions, or having to wait for others to catch up. This can help eliminate frustration and negative self-talk that come with making mistakes or slow progress because you’re dealing with distractions.

A recent study proved that people are more productive when working alone without distractions than those who work in open-air environments. So take this alone time as a gift, and cut out the distractions to devote your best self.

How to be happy alone

There are many solo activities that you can do to bring joy into your life. Think about your favorite activities, and give yourself the time and space to enjoy them. If you need some suggestions, here are a few ideas to get you started.

Play games solo

These days, there are many different genres and styles of games you can play that challenge your reflexes and your brain or immerse you in a memorable story. Your alone time can be a great opportunity to look into single-player games and discover which ones you want to spend time with.

From Stardew Valley to Elden Ring and Overcooked to Slay the Spire, there are so many different kinds of games you can explore on your phone, tablet, game systems, and computer. Whether you’re looking for cinematic narrative experiences or a refinement of an addictive classic like Solitaire, you can find games that cover every imaginable interest.

Make plans - both public and personal

Alone time doesn’t have to be separate from your regular life. Humans are social by nature, and making connections with each other is important. However, sometimes you need the space to take a step back and simplify everything. This can actually make the time you do spend in a social setting that much more fulfilling.

If you have difficulty being alone, use the alone time to plan social time. Make to-do lists for the week, write down places you want to visit with friends, or organize and plan upcoming social events. This lets you use your time more efficiently, and make your social time even more important.

Start a hobby

Time alone is a great opportunity to start a hobby that will continuously reward you. Find a hobby you could pull out years later with friends or the next time you need a break from people. You could make your way through a cookbook, learn to sew, or spend time taking an online class.

The key is curiosity. Dive into something that’s always been of interest but seemed a bit out of reach. Check the schedule at your local library or local arts center for classes or workshops. You never know where your next passion is going to come from.

Don’t let loneliness stop you from being alone

You don’t need to view time away from people as something depressing. Instead, you should view these activities as a way to focus on doing the things that make you happy or enrich your life. Reframing alone time as a chance to focus on yourself can go a long way to fighting off loneliness.

If you need time alone to recharge try any of these suggestions or dive into the different games available at 247Solitaire.com where you can track progress, hone your skills on the original, or learn new versions of the classic.

DISCLAIMER: The games on this website are using PLAY (fake) money. No payouts will be awarded, there are no "winnings", as all games represented by 247 Games LLC are free to play. Play strictly for fun.