Being a loner or a person who spends a lot of time alone doesn't have to be boring. There's so much to do when you have a someone, but there's just as plenty to do when you're single and/or alone and it can be fun too!

I know a lot about being alone because... Let me explain. If you've read my post on how I balanced high and sports you'd know I've only ever made just one friend in both high schools I went to. You'll be shocked to know that after spending years in college, there's not even a person I can call from there to talk to about anything. I didn't make any friends. Anyway, here are 6 fun activities for people who spend too much time on their own:

Visit The Park
If you're spending too much time alone you might need to interact with other people every once in a while for your own well-being. You don't even have to converse with everyone at the park, you can simply just go there at a time where certain activities are taking place there. I remember our nearest park in college used to have people doing some aerobics on Saturday mornings. The boys used to play soccer there too. I liked watching soccer while I was on my phone for an obvious reason - free Wi-Fi.

Take Up A New Hobby
Having one usual routine can get boring and eventually stressful. It's good to get out of your comfort zone or still stay there and take up a new hobby. I used to go to the gym. I met a lot of people there, participated in aerobics and conversed with the coaches there. It was a good place to get my mind off of things.

Take Yourself Out For Lunch
Food can change your mood from bored to 'I'm so glad I came here'. It's just something it does. Taking yourself out is also a form of self-care which is good for your mental health. Did I mention that it's also an excuse to look pretty and wear your favourite outfits? Try it, it's fun.

Explore Your Town
You know how we may sometimes think that our hometowns are boring? You'd be shocked to find that you've been missing outnon great places around you. Google places around you and go have fun.

Although I can't name fifty movies that I've watched before, I have a number of those that I have loved since I've first watched them. Here are my top ten favourite movies of all time:

1. Captain America : The Winter Soldier
2. Hitman's Bodyguard
3. Avengers : Infinity War
4. Jumping the Broom
5. Nobody's Fool
6. Ride Along

 

We all have our lazy days, right? But we always have to get back to doing something, whether it's work, taking care of the home or anything really. I know that sometimes being productive can be hard, getting up and getting at it isn't as easy as it sounds. Here are some tips on how you can enhance productivity:

Do Your Best At Your Best
When you're working on something you may not always be feeling your best. However, there may be a moment or two when you're actually interested in what you're doing, focused and feeling your best; that is the time when you have to do your best. Allow that to work in your favour.

Do Not Multitask
Multitasking can be quite temping. It almost feels like you're actually doing something and progressing, but really you're doing every single thing in halves - that can be very time consuming and stressful. Write down what you need to do in the day, sort them by priority and get started, one at a time.

Be Realistic
When you write down your to-do list for the day, keep your list as realistic as possible to avoid feeling anxious and guilty about the things you couldn't get done. If you do set a realistic to-do list for the day and still not be able to complete it, don't beat yourself up - you did what you could do.

Eliminate Distractions
Distractions could be the clutter in your workspace, your cellphone, TV and sometimes even your behaviour towards the work you should do. Eliminate all distractions, even if it is just for ten minutes, you're most likely to keep going once you start. Don't let your distractions or behaviour get in your way!

Take Short Breaks
Taking breaks help you shift your focus from what you're currently doing. It helps you regroup and sometimes that's all you need to keep going.

Wrap Things Up!
Do not spend too much time on one task at the expense of the other. Each task should have a timeframe and do not go way beyond the timeframe you have set. Try to set more realistic timeframes for every task.

Always do what you have to not only what you feel like, because you only have yourself to thank or blame later on. What are some of the things you do to enhance your productivity? Let me know in the comments.

I like Summer and Spring dates, I'm still deciding on whether or not I like Autumn dates as well but I know Winter dates are my least favourite. That doesn't mean I have to stay home and put dates on hold for three months while I await the next season. And let me tell you a secret, cheap dates don't have to be boring! Here are 5 cheap and fun Winter date night ideas:

Indoor Movie Night
I'm often tempted to watch a series but I know I won't stop, so I watch a movie instead because it movie takes less time. I also find that watching a movie in the house on a winter evening is very fun and cosy.

Dinner
I just can't say no to food no matter the season. The only difference is in Winter I prefer ordering a takeout or cooking a nice home meal. This idea just works, whether you're alone or not. You can set up the table in your dining room or do a picnic set-up in your living room.

Game Night
Did I mention that this will mostly be indoor date night ideas? I go out less in winter but the fun don't stop. A game night is fun and memorable. If you're alone, play your favourite game or try a new one and if you're with someone, the same idea applies. Have fun!

Get A Massage
I think of massages as rewarding the body's hardwork. You probably do so much every day that you barely have time to give your body a much needed break. Book a massage and getaway from your daily routine. You can go to them or make them come to you. Massages help you relax.

Build A Campfire
This is my favourite kind of date! I like getting some snacks and sitting by the fire in winter. Not only do I get to feel warm, telling old stories by the fire is timeless! If I'm alone I just reminisce about the good old days and good old conversations. Campfire is also great for roasting some corn and marshmallows. I mostly like to eat some biscuits and chips.

I hope these are helpful for you this winter. Tell me what you like to do for dates in the cold season.

For some people, self-compassion comes naturally while for others it is something they have to learn. I fall under the category of those who had to learn it.

Self-compassion, simply put, means giving yourself the same care you give to others. We open ourselves so much to and for others but can't open up ourselves for ourselves. It's a little confusing but it happens. After years of beating myself up over a countless number of things, this is how I now practice self-compassion and how you can too:

BE MORE UNDERSTANDING

I used to be a "yes" and a "it's fine, let's do it" kind of person - and for a long time. I just couldn't say no. The habit of saying yes when I wanted to say no got me in places and situations I wished I didn't get myself into.

I may have learned the hard way but at least I know better now. I try to focus more on the lesson than how I learned the lesson. Here are three reasons why saying no is important:

IT SETS BOUNDARIES 
Boundaries are needed for healthy and working relationships (friendships, romantic relationships, etc). When you set boundaries and say no, you are be able to make time for the things that you actually want to do - it is a component of self-care. Saying yes more may lead to feeling taken advantage of and/or overworked.

IT PROTECTS THE FEELINGS OF THOSE INVOLVED
Imagine agreeing to showing up for someone because you got carried away by excitement or pressure and then you realise that you actually can't make it. The guilt of it! Saying yes and not showing up is not cool and could hurt the person you've agreed to show up for. To protect both your feelings, take a step back and think about what you're about to get yourself into. Can you really make it? Do you want to go? These are two important questions you should ask yourself.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love sports! And if we just met online, do stick around - I would like to share this story about myself with you. My relationships with sports is an exciting one. I participated in sports from the first grade until grade 12.

I own gold, silver and bronze medals for positions 1, 2 and 3, a countless number of certificates (I really have no idea how many they are) and 1 trophy which the school kept. Competitive running was my favourite sport. I remember in primary school when I would decide to skip practice, one of the teachers would come to get me from the dorm. They would wait for me and get me to the school ground, and now that I think about it, they were helping me. When I got to grade 7, I ran and played netball - I was happy in sports!

As I grew older and got to high school, I needed to balance high school workload and sports as I didn't want to slack on either of them. The second year of high school I stopped playing netball and joined the girls soccer team which was form that very same year and I continued doing the 100 meters run. I never stopped running all my school life. It took some persistence but this is how I balanced high school as a sport person:

STUDYING

To balance high school and sports, I did my homework right after school because we had study time for an hour after school (dorm rules). If I needed to study, I studied in the evening as there was another study time for 2 hours every evening during the week and on Sundays. If I couldn't do my homework during study time, I did my homework the next morning at school before classes started. It was honestly mostly a bad idea but I still did it other days and it still worked.

FRIENDSHIPS

Looking back, I realise that I never really made many friends in high school. I had people who I hung around at that time, the people I laughed and played with but that's about where it ended. I went to two different high schools and in each one I made just one friend. We still hang out and have fun. I really believe not having many friends helped me focus on what was important, and I think that was one of the best things I did (having little friends).

FOOD

There weren't many options when it came to food. The dorm provided food and lucky for me, the food wasn't all bad, so I ate what came.  I couldn't miss meal time because if I did I'd be so hungry until the next meal ( we ate three times a day). I was just happy there was some starch, and I remember I drank a glass milk every single morning, and all these helped me keep healthy for school and sports.

WEEKENDS

When it came to weekends, I did some laundry, relax and play. Yup, I did my own laundry in boarding school. I did not do anything sports related on weekends unless I had a game on that day. Weekends were for me and I made sure of it.

I have no regrets when it comes to how much I've put in sports. Competitive running was my favourite, especially when it was time for relay! I'm so grateful to God for the gift of speed. I had so much fun with it and in the end, on time, I finished high school. Did you play sports in high school? Tell me about your how you keep or kept your balance in high school between your studies and extramural activities or sports?