Part of the meaning of being Arab is being surrounded by a large amount of people at all time. Privacy? Time for your self? Nope, sorry. They don’t exist.
As Arabs we’re known for family playing a huge part in our lives, and not just direct family, but your aunt’s cousin’s daughter’s husband kind of thing. And instead of having one or two close friends, we tend to have five or six from every place we’ve ever been. Being the social butterflies we are, we end up having at least 30 best friends.
But as we get older, ties start to loosen, not because we want to, but because life has a way of keeping you engulfed in it. People get married, they have kids. Others travel and others just change. So one day you wake up and after being so used to always having someone around, you are hit with a feeling you’ve never felt before – being alone.
Finally, free time! Privacy! But wait, why does it feel like something is missing, something is wrong? And what are we supposed to do with this “me” time we’ve been waiting for so long?
Here is the problem; we become so engulfed in the lives laid out ahead of us, that we don’t give ourselves the time we need to get acquainted with ourselves. How do we expect to be happy, if we don’t know how to be happy on our own?
Learning to enjoy yourself on your own can be tricky at first; you find your mind wondering to how your friend would’ve loved this or how it would’ve been a lot more fun if your loved one were there. But once you start having a set schedule where you know that you have personal time, you’ll start appreciating it more and more.
It’s all about figuring out what to actually do and how to enjoy the time you have for yourself.
Watch a movie or go to the cinema
One of the most annoying things is to have someone constantly chitchatting or making remarks when all you want to do is watch the Goddamn movie! Going to the movies alone was weird at first, but when your cinema-buddy travels to another continent, you ain’t gonna wait til they come back!
Surprisingly, the cinema is one of the best places to take yourself on a date and really enjoy yourself!
Go for a walk or run
Sometimes, we’re just flooded with negative thoughts and there’s no better way to get that out than through movement. Going for a run was my time to put all the bits and pieces together, rid the negativity away and just enjoy the slight breeze (at 6 am in the morning).
Running or walking puts you at ease, calms your brain down and is the perfect time to make rational decisions about your future, your status or anything else you want to discuss with yourself.
Read
Discover fantasy worlds that even your imagination can’t put together and live a thousand different lives through every page you turn.
Reading is one of the best ways to take a break, enjoy yourself and spend your time in your own little bubble.
Travel
Exploring the world makes you realize so much about yourself, and with every new culture you discover, some of it rubs off on you and the growth and appreciation you experience in life make you become a better, more independent version of yourself.
If someone would pay me to travel, that is literally what I would want to do for the rest of my life. Meet new people, experience new things and eat different cuisines!
Find your passion
Whether it’s crafting, knitting, cooking or even dancing, figure out what kinds of things make you light up and put a huge smile on your face. You’d be surprised how much fun dancing when no one is around actually is!
Unleash the artist/singer/builder in you and make some memories that you’ll always smile when you remember.
Experiment
Get out of your comfort zone and do something challenging. Being adventurous or facing your fears is one of the ways to making life worthwhile. And you’ll definitely have a lot of stories and experiences to pass on!
WE SAID THIS: Don’t miss 10 Risks You Absolutely Must Take When You Travel!
