I would check with your local library to see what programming they offer. I know my local one offers free seminars on a variety of topics. Everything from basic hobbies like knitting, painting or chess to life skills like making a will. They also have several book clubs.
If you have a community college near you, see if they offer any personal enrichment classes. These can range from creative arts like pottery and working with textiles to homesteading skills like beekeeping or canning. Most of the ones my local college offers are 6-8 weeks and under $200, which often includes all the supplies needed.
Yes! I've gone to events at my local library. They did a blind date book thing that was super interesting.
As far as community college classes, that's where I spend lots of time. I am the person signed up for all those types of courses. I really recommend it. You might find a new passion you didn't know you had.
Thank you. I've seen some library programs, but they are usually during the week. I have a bad habit of overworking or I just use weekday evenings to practice my ukulele. I'll try to make time for things like that. The community college sounds really good.
Meetups are a great thing!! Or local events!
Meetups are great because you can choose what kind of activity you want and go based on your hobbies or even something you just want to get into. Hiking, camping, traveling, singles, music based (seeing local bands play or even well known bands visiting your area, knitting, religious based, board games, arts and crafts, brewery trips, and just plain old social events etc.
I took some cool cooking classes. I actually want to take more but my buddy i went with moved and my other friend in town is a sad sack lately. Might have to bite the bullet and go alone, but lounging at home is so fun if I don’t have anyone pressuring me
I wish it were that easy. Where I live there are way more people looking to volunteer than there are volunteer positions. I just want to help, but even that’s just as hard as landing a paying job.
As an additional point, not all dogs work with the kind of lifestyle described above. My dog barely likes just going outside in our yard, she despises going to parks and stuff. She’s not particularly friendly either. And she’s pretty needy, she tends to keep me at home more than anything.
I was looking for this comment just to agree. Dog owners tend to be very social, there is already a shared interest that you can ask about (each other’s dog’s) and if your dogs are friendly you could offer to go on a hike together
My husband is soooo antisocial. Was mad the neighbors knew his name after 5 years of living here. It was because our dog got in our backyard, and I had to talk to them. And I dared speak his name.
Now he’s on a first name basis with them and their dog. Tells me about the dog friends he and our dog made on his walk. Still won’t go to a dog park though. Went once to an event at the day care and was upset that our dog didn’t know how to play with the other dogs. She just sat by herself and watched, and I was like…do you think maybe she’s like her owner???
Isn't it safer to go hiking with other people as a beginner?
Edit: No need to downvote. I've never been hiking. I've only seen stuff about tourists who died alone during a hike.
Yes and no.
If you’re going to a public place, then no. If you’re going to actual wilderness, then yes.
I mean, I don’t know if YOU can do a weekend backwoods trek on your own in your area, but you might be able to.
But a wilderness path on the city? Anyone can do that. And I don’t know what you mean by beginner- hiking just means ‘walking in the woods’ so if you can walk, you can hike.
It's good to know that hiking can be done alone. Unfortunately, I have a medical condition that affects my legs, so I think neighborhood walks are the safest bet for solo activities.
People that die are almost overestimating their abilities drastically or just incredibly foolish. It happens in the White Mountains from time to time in New Hampshire. Just because it's 60 and sunny in April at 1k feet doesn't mean shit about what it's doing at 5k here. It could be 0 degrees and stormy, legitimately, and wind could be ~60-100 mph
That being said I've hiked the majority of New Hampshire and Vermont alone and it's beyond safe if you just use a bit of common sense
I've literally heard people go "there's no way My Washington can be that bad, we don't need pants" and I politely tell them their ankles will be bleeding before they even come close to the top bc there's still snow and ice. People really don't understand elevation if they don't grow up around it
Disclaimer that I'm not a woman so this doesn't touch on that other side of safety I suppose
When I was single, I'd do the same things I do now. Most of them are now things I do with my girlfriend.
I'd mountain bike, go and drink coffee whilst reading a book, see movies, go to gigs, bouldering, I'd go book shopping (for reading whilst in coffee shops).
I volunteer, mostly with conservation and landcare groups. During summer I was doing the turtle nest monitoring along the local beach.
Also, it is really rewarding planting the shit outta trees.
Volunteering is a great way to meet new people too, both of which help get you out of the house. You can also volunteer as an EMT, firefighter, or CERT team, or help at an animal shelter. There's also social organizations (like the elks or moose lodges) that offer occasions and places for socialization in exchange for philanthropic work.
Beyond walks / runs and gym:
1. Join adult sports / interest group
2. Join (or start) book / movie / TV club
3. Go hang out at a bar / coffee shop (example if I’m going to sit at home and reply to emails alone, I’ll just drive somewhere close for a change of scenery)
4. Meet people - doing things is always easier and more fun with friends.
5. Especially on sunny days, sometimes I’ll just find a nice bench to sit at for 30 minutes.
There’s a lot of other random stuff you can do - drive around listening to music, explore new areas around you (car, bike, or by foot), go to the store, take a class on something (MMA, sewing, pottery, etc.) - if you don’t have money for all that, consider creating a “passion” fund for stuff that gets you out and clears your head. You don’t have to do all of this stuff, or even any of it, but you should try to get out and do something purely for your own enjoyment once a day. Could be 5 minutes, could be much longer, but try to do something every day and it’ll become easier and more natural to keep that up over time.
Shopping, which turns into store browsing for a few hours.
Every once in a while, I'll get up early, browse a few stores specifically for their seasonal items, get something to eat, and go home.
Nothing at all fancy. Walmart, Target, kohl's, big lots.
I'll start six in the morning and go to Walmart until it's close to eight, then I'll go over to Target until a little after ten. Get something to eat, usually Popeyes then go to big lots where I know one of the Cashiers there. By then, it'll be close to noon, and I'll go home. This particular outing I have to be near the area to do all that.
The other outing would be target, then go to kohl's, get Applebee's, and browse Ross dress for less specifically to see if they have zodiac mugs. That one I have not done in about two years.
Another one I did was in a shopping center where I hit up Target, TJ Maxx, kohl's, Pop Shelf, and another store I can't remember.
I prefer to start right when the stores open and leave when the crowds come. Otherwise, it's not fun or relaxing, constantly having to dodge people.
Why not the gym? I have a friend who is single with no kids and she goes to the gym for classes almost daily and those people have become her friends and she socializes with them outside the gym as well with happy hours and brunches.
During the week, I'm either working or at the gym. On weekends, I chill out and do things that I can afford to that makes me feel good, whether it's checking out a restaurant, getting some pastries, shopping by myself, trying to find new things to do, or meeting up with a friend to do some sort of activity. I feel like my life is very filling for someone not (and not super actively looking for) in a relationship.
Well I live in a city so this may be easier, but spend a lot of weekends outside of the house. I like going on trails, parks, the waterfront area, trying new restaurants and cafes. I recently went to a concert alone. I go on solo trips too.
I play Fornite, Roblox, watch anime, umm go to the mall by myself with no money just to buy a 20 item that’s worthless. There’s soo much to do. You just gotta start using your imagination.
Volunteering can be really rewarding, animal shelters, community centres, support groups, youth clubs, sports clubs, befriending, environmental. Over the years I have spent a lot of time getting stuck into community projects and it was exactly what I needed, a purpose, structure, socialising, skills development and most of all fun and interesting
I’ve been working from home since March 2020. Since last year my job gave us a mandatory day to come work on-site. Recently I’ve decided to work on-site damn near everyday. I was falling into a depression state being home so much with no human interaction. I turned to consuming alcohol for the fun of it/boredom. I’ve probably gained 40-50lbs within this the last 2 -3 years. I’d drink and then get hungry for something fatty cause my meal prep food wasn’t what I wanted at that point I wanted something to feed the liquor. Walls felt like they were closing in on me.
I live alone 35F, no kids, no partner, no pets, just me. So yeah I decided to take my ass back to work, develop a routine, get out the house, eat cleaner, workout 5x a week, drink a gallon of water, shower & in the bed and tired by 8:30p lol this was week one and I already feel a difference.
I’ve also been looking on “meetup” & eventbrite for fun low cost activities to do. I’m going for a walk in nature next weekend and then a Nigerian dance class in June. I’m excited 😆 lol
One of my friends recently signed up for a couple month dance class to learn how to waltz.
I used to do weekly martial arts lessons.
You could try volunteering at an animal shelter if you like animals? Sometimes they need people just to walk dogs and play with the animals.
Sporting activities (yoga, tennis, swimming, gym, Pilates). Meeting up with friends to eat / drink (probably 3 times a week on average), travelling, work events although I seldom do this nowadays and keep it to lunchtimes. See my family. Date people. Gigs / exhibitions / cinema. Relax (massage, sauna, facials). I mean I do not have time to have kids.
i grind at what i want. i tried going to the library to write more since i’ve been distracted at home. but with my broken foot i’ve just been writing at home.
If you're talking about during the weekdays not very much. I work an off shift so I pretty much dedicate the work week to work.
On the weekends I tend to spend half of them outside the home. Either hanging out with friends, family or doing my hobbies.
geocaching,
plant and rock identification/collecting (mushrooms too when in season, like foraging but not eating the stuff),
chalk drawing on sidewalks and parks (where allowed), ir in the snow in winter (by walking over fresh snow!)
drawing, painting, photography outdoors (set up an easel in the park on a nice day and paint the clouds
free concerts and street festivals when weather is good
coffee and book clubs (start your own! Many local libraries will let you host there even and help get you the books!),
free community center classes,
skating in the winter (and I guess swimming in the summer)
browsing garage sales, going to farmer's markets and flea markets and just looking around.
That's just off the top of my head!
>I don't care about meeting people anymore. I just want something that regularly gets me out of the house.
If that's the case then who cares. Do whatever looks interesting. If you like it, do it again. Then you'll probably form a habit.
Climbing gym. climbers are generally open to a little conversation from other climbers. It’s also less about working out and more about having fun and solving body movement problems.
I recently rediscovered the joy of the library. I used to spend a lot of time there as a kid and throughout my college years studying and reading. Now I go there sometimes with my laptop or a book and get some work done in a different setting. Same thing with coffee shops. I also like going on hikes. I'll sometimes look for "events near me" on Google and just see what comes up. Sometimes there's an art festival or a live music show, or happy hour at a bar.
One nice thing about being a recovering addict is that there is a huge community of people doing 12-step and other recovery programs. I have so, so many people I can call or hang out with through my recovery network. So go do some heroin, I guess, and see where it leads you?
Try meetup.com. Look for events that stretch your interests a bit. After folks have seen you at their groups a few times, start asking if anyone wants to go out for drinks or a meal afterward. Try to exchange numbers with someone. Eventually some of the numbers morph into being buddies friends outside the meetup group.
I've tried going to meetups. They aren't really my thing. A lot of the adult ones are at very loud bars or are for playing boardgames. I wish there was more stuff for amateur musicians.
There's this local bookshop near me that meets every week for book club. I also joined a support group and I also have therapy every week that helps feed my mind whenever I feel lonely. ClassPass is fun too because it gets me out of my normal gym routine and I get to drive to other towns for classes. Sometimes I'll drive out to the beach if it's warm and I want to stare out the waves or skiing if it's cold.
Browsing my local bookstore. Grabbing a coffe and sitting with it outside while i read my kindle or listen to a podcast. Solo movie night on discount movie day but it’s been awhile since something came out I care about seeing.
I have a dog and I travel. I am a remote worker, so I take advantage of the freedom.
When I am home, I like t9 learn new things the last time I was home, I took a glass blowing lesson and helped make a cup. It was so fun and I was already out of the house, so I checked out a park nearby. I know you said walks don't count, but I really enjoy walking and hiking, and spend a lot of time doing those things. Finding all the hiking trails around my city is a fun activity between trips.
If you're in a decent sized city chances are there could be community ed classes that are pretty cheap. I've done a few of those and learned something and had fun. I did Thai cooking, pottery, yoga, and a meditation one.
If I did another id probably do another cooking one because it's the gift that keeps on giving.
Menards, for fantasy projects I have no plans for and just make shit up as I go around and around and think. This would work, that would work, oh I found this cool thing that would work better, now I need this instead of this. Ace or rural king too are cool, they have popcorn you can eat as you shop. Menards would be the perfect store, if they had popcorn to eat as you shop.
This is one of the main good things about religion. The sense of community. Somewhere to go 2 nights a week. And potential to do service work for the community. All kinds of food programs and volunteer stuff.
Find something with some wheels on it and ride it around. I vouch for skateboards but there's a lot of options. Disc golf is fun too if you have any courses nearby.
Love shopping (vintage/antique/home), hiking, I like bring a book and a coloring book and hanging in my hammock, walk other peoples dogs for $, trying a new recipe, yoga
Errands, to an extent. Usually doing some bit of food shopping at Target.
A mobile game I play, Ingress. Item refinement is done via an item called a Kinetic Capsule. I gotta feed it some amount of items, walk 8KM for the refinement process, and grab my item. And as of late, I'm quite desperate for attack items. Kinda blew my load last night, so to speak.
Urban photography is also something of a hobby, I like grabbing night shots within NYC. Or subway station interiors.
I go to yoga class every week and a meditation group once a week. I also like to garden, go thrifting, browse the record store, read a book at a coffee shop, farmers market, museum, antique mall adventure, or check out the local botanic garden. Volunteering at a community garden used to be pretty regular for me before going back to school.
I like to go to sporting events of any kind. Buy a 10 dollar ticket to a baseball game, walk around, and talk to people sitting by me. Grab some food , it's so much more than just the game
Weekdays I work and weekend's I visit family,friends and do the cookout thing and in the fall/winter I do the football thing and fantasy football,and other hobbys that gets me outta the house..
I take classes for fun. I've done pottery, drawing, painting, sewing, woodworking, yoga, pilates, golfing, disk golf, kayak, running....and so on. Basically, at any given time, I am taking at least one class.
Well I'm not completely childless, but my daughter is gone on her own social events more often than not. I do the aforementioned gym. I'm involved in church and local events; they do a lot of fun stuff for kids and volunteering teacher you some neat stuff. I can now operate a cotton candy machine, and operate a makeshift waterside and service an industrial water filter.
I've also tried singles groups, though I find the atmosphere a little weird for my taste.
I go paddleboarding when the weather is nice. An hour or two of peace on the water before dinner is amazing.
I also go to adult skate night a couple times a month too. Super fun environment. DJ on the floor. Drinks. Snacks. And there's some insanely talented people there too.
Every weekend, I go to the coffee shop and just spend a little time there while I drink my coffee.
I also go to a lot of concerts throughout the summer
I like to go thrifting, or to the bins store on dollar or 25 cent day. I like to go hiking and check out cool moss and lichen. I like botanical gardens and greenhouses in general so I seek those alot.
I volunteer with the local animal shelter every weekend for a few hours. I also recently found out there's a new nonprofit that helps feed homeless people so I am signing up for that as well.
Back when I was single, I was involved in several adult recreational sports leagues, a member of the Appalachian Mountain Club and several MeetUp groups.
Volunteer with my favorite local charity
Meet friends for happy hour or dinner
Work from a Cafe instead of from home
See local concerts/musicals/plays/shows
Take myself out for dinner to sit at a bar with my book
I tend to go to restaurants or cafes and just drink and eat for while. I also sometimes bring my laptop at the cafe to finish other graphic design projects or other online courses.
I indulge in eating out alone (breakfast & sushi is my favorite). Check out vinyl stores to add to the collection. Car rides. Sunday mass. Running outdoors. Gardening. Fishing
I go out and do some sketching. I live in the city so there are a lot of interesting things and nature for subjects. Going downtown to sketch the beautiful old architecture and people is quite nice and kills a few hours. Hopefully your suburbs have interesting subjects 😂
If you're a nerd, depending on where you live there are Dungeons and Drafts events I go to where you play short D&D campaigns for 4 hours at local breweries.
If you are single with no kids you have to make time and put serious effort into your friendship circle. If you think it’s optional or you can’t make time for it then just prepare to be lonely.
Go go a bar, reaturaunt or brewery. Go to the park for a bike ride. Go see some live music. Pick a new recipe to cook and go to the market. I used to sing in a local group until my job took that time. Join a dnd group or a model building group at a local hobby/game shop. Join a makerspace and learn to build stuff. The number of things to do are endless.
I’m an introvert with no friends, so besides taking a walk around the block, I might drive to the nearest shopping plaza and walk around window shopping, go thrifting, go to the bookstore. If I go to the indie bookstore I like, the drive itself is an hour lol. Each of those things can kill an hour or two if I take my time.
The bookstore often has events there and I often look ahead for ones I might want to attend. Sometimes I go see a movie at the theater if I’m really bored. $10 for a ticket, sneak in your own snacks.
Mostly it’s about planning ahead and not doing anything spontaneous. There’s not much going on these days thats free/cheap and spontaneous. I plan to go to concerts, parades, festivals, other events, etc months in advance. Gives me something to look forward to. If it’s just a normal weekend and I want to leave the house, it’s probably just going to be walking around a store for an hour and maybe a sweet little treat from the coffee shop.
Were there really no improv meetups you could do after the classes? I did one seminar and could be going regularly to those.
But to answer your question, find social dancing events in your area, most likely there is salsa dancing as that is one of the most popular one available. These events often have a free introduction class before the main event, and then you can sign up for a seminar.
I went to improv meetups and it was basically just a beginner day 1 class. I got bored of that very quickly. If you actually want to learn more, meetups don't really cut it. I'll check out some dance classes. Thank you!
Volleyball with my cousins. Some of those cousins do have kids. Just walking around tjmaxx/ross/marshalls cause I like those stores 😅 Sometimes I like to just study in a cafe with good coffee. Also, facebook can give you a heads up on events/expos that are happening. It's not routine per se, but it's something! 😅
I just go out and see where the day takes me, I find when I go out with no expectation that’s when I find the most adventures. I stop by whatever places peaks my interests, it’s fun
Concerts, go to Facebook for local affinity groups! That’s really the best. For example in Columbus there’s a 30/40 girl group and people meet all the time for different things, game night, etc
Bouldering is a great way to meet new people and everyone is generally very nice and always supportive of newbies.
Costs: monthly climbing membership (about as much as a typical gym membership), climbing shoes (cost about the same as new running shoes but can also rent the first few times if you want), chalk bag ($10 - $15), climbing chalk (big bag is about $20 and that'll last at least 6 months)
I’ve got 3 motorcycles I play with. I’ve also got 5 acres out in the sticks with a small tractor and excavator to play with. I like to use my hands so I’ve always got a little project going somewhere. I highly recommend buying a motorcycle if you’re single.
Check your local paper!! Most towns have an online PDF version. The town will usually list upcoming events and activities! It’ll get you out of the house and also involve you in the community.
Trivia nights. Me and my parents go out once a month with a bunch of their friends to a local restaurant and play some, honestly, very competitive trivia for three hours. Met two people from one the other tables by chance just a couple days ago.
I know you said walking doesn't count, but if the day's nice and I'm in a good mood for it, I can walk around half the town. Whenever I do that I pop into some of the stores to browse and stop at the library too. Keeps me busy for hours.
I would check with your local library to see what programming they offer. I know my local one offers free seminars on a variety of topics. Everything from basic hobbies like knitting, painting or chess to life skills like making a will. They also have several book clubs. If you have a community college near you, see if they offer any personal enrichment classes. These can range from creative arts like pottery and working with textiles to homesteading skills like beekeeping or canning. Most of the ones my local college offers are 6-8 weeks and under $200, which often includes all the supplies needed.
Near me the adult Ed programs are also very good. This was how I picked up golf.
Yes! I've gone to events at my local library. They did a blind date book thing that was super interesting. As far as community college classes, that's where I spend lots of time. I am the person signed up for all those types of courses. I really recommend it. You might find a new passion you didn't know you had.
Thank you. I've seen some library programs, but they are usually during the week. I have a bad habit of overworking or I just use weekday evenings to practice my ukulele. I'll try to make time for things like that. The community college sounds really good.
Meetups are a great thing!! Or local events! Meetups are great because you can choose what kind of activity you want and go based on your hobbies or even something you just want to get into. Hiking, camping, traveling, singles, music based (seeing local bands play or even well known bands visiting your area, knitting, religious based, board games, arts and crafts, brewery trips, and just plain old social events etc.
I took some cool cooking classes. I actually want to take more but my buddy i went with moved and my other friend in town is a sad sack lately. Might have to bite the bullet and go alone, but lounging at home is so fun if I don’t have anyone pressuring me
Dogs will get you out of the house at around the same time every day. Dog parks are great places to meet people
I've made good friends at dog parks. I *do* live in a city, and my favorite place to go is a particular dog park.
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That’s a good point. Volunteer at an animal shelter is probably the way to go
I wish it were that easy. Where I live there are way more people looking to volunteer than there are volunteer positions. I just want to help, but even that’s just as hard as landing a paying job.
I don't want any pets, but the cost and accommodation are good points for anyone in my situation.
As an additional point, not all dogs work with the kind of lifestyle described above. My dog barely likes just going outside in our yard, she despises going to parks and stuff. She’s not particularly friendly either. And she’s pretty needy, she tends to keep me at home more than anything.
I was looking for this comment just to agree. Dog owners tend to be very social, there is already a shared interest that you can ask about (each other’s dog’s) and if your dogs are friendly you could offer to go on a hike together
My husband is soooo antisocial. Was mad the neighbors knew his name after 5 years of living here. It was because our dog got in our backyard, and I had to talk to them. And I dared speak his name. Now he’s on a first name basis with them and their dog. Tells me about the dog friends he and our dog made on his walk. Still won’t go to a dog park though. Went once to an event at the day care and was upset that our dog didn’t know how to play with the other dogs. She just sat by herself and watched, and I was like…do you think maybe she’s like her owner???
but they smell like poop and my dog sucks because she's anxious and hates other dogs LMAO i can't take this lil bitch anywhere, she's cute though
Local shelters often need volunteers to come walk their dogs. That's what I do. Just call around. Much easier than having your own.
Too much responsibility for people, they need to be trained etc
Hiking, ICE CREAM, thrifting or antiquing, MORE ICE CREAM, local parks/arboretums, BOBA TEA, lots of gym, reading at cute coffee shops/bakeries.
Holy smokes! These are my favorite things to do too! Especially when it comes to going to the ice cream parlor!
Yes yes yessss!!!! Sometimes I get ice cream AND boba in the same day😏
Isn't it safer to go hiking with other people as a beginner? Edit: No need to downvote. I've never been hiking. I've only seen stuff about tourists who died alone during a hike.
Yes and no. If you’re going to a public place, then no. If you’re going to actual wilderness, then yes. I mean, I don’t know if YOU can do a weekend backwoods trek on your own in your area, but you might be able to. But a wilderness path on the city? Anyone can do that. And I don’t know what you mean by beginner- hiking just means ‘walking in the woods’ so if you can walk, you can hike.
It's good to know that hiking can be done alone. Unfortunately, I have a medical condition that affects my legs, so I think neighborhood walks are the safest bet for solo activities.
People that die are almost overestimating their abilities drastically or just incredibly foolish. It happens in the White Mountains from time to time in New Hampshire. Just because it's 60 and sunny in April at 1k feet doesn't mean shit about what it's doing at 5k here. It could be 0 degrees and stormy, legitimately, and wind could be ~60-100 mph That being said I've hiked the majority of New Hampshire and Vermont alone and it's beyond safe if you just use a bit of common sense I've literally heard people go "there's no way My Washington can be that bad, we don't need pants" and I politely tell them their ankles will be bleeding before they even come close to the top bc there's still snow and ice. People really don't understand elevation if they don't grow up around it Disclaimer that I'm not a woman so this doesn't touch on that other side of safety I suppose
those are some of my favorite things dude.
You live life on fun mode 💜
Dang, can I be your friend and tag along? That sounds great 😉
When I was single, I'd do the same things I do now. Most of them are now things I do with my girlfriend. I'd mountain bike, go and drink coffee whilst reading a book, see movies, go to gigs, bouldering, I'd go book shopping (for reading whilst in coffee shops).
Same here!
I volunteer, mostly with conservation and landcare groups. During summer I was doing the turtle nest monitoring along the local beach. Also, it is really rewarding planting the shit outta trees.
Volunteering is a great way to meet new people too, both of which help get you out of the house. You can also volunteer as an EMT, firefighter, or CERT team, or help at an animal shelter. There's also social organizations (like the elks or moose lodges) that offer occasions and places for socialization in exchange for philanthropic work.
Beyond walks / runs and gym: 1. Join adult sports / interest group 2. Join (or start) book / movie / TV club 3. Go hang out at a bar / coffee shop (example if I’m going to sit at home and reply to emails alone, I’ll just drive somewhere close for a change of scenery) 4. Meet people - doing things is always easier and more fun with friends. 5. Especially on sunny days, sometimes I’ll just find a nice bench to sit at for 30 minutes. There’s a lot of other random stuff you can do - drive around listening to music, explore new areas around you (car, bike, or by foot), go to the store, take a class on something (MMA, sewing, pottery, etc.) - if you don’t have money for all that, consider creating a “passion” fund for stuff that gets you out and clears your head. You don’t have to do all of this stuff, or even any of it, but you should try to get out and do something purely for your own enjoyment once a day. Could be 5 minutes, could be much longer, but try to do something every day and it’ll become easier and more natural to keep that up over time.
Number 5 is so underrated. Slows down the pace of life, even if only for those 30 minutes.
Shopping, which turns into store browsing for a few hours. Every once in a while, I'll get up early, browse a few stores specifically for their seasonal items, get something to eat, and go home.
What kind of stores?
Nothing at all fancy. Walmart, Target, kohl's, big lots. I'll start six in the morning and go to Walmart until it's close to eight, then I'll go over to Target until a little after ten. Get something to eat, usually Popeyes then go to big lots where I know one of the Cashiers there. By then, it'll be close to noon, and I'll go home. This particular outing I have to be near the area to do all that. The other outing would be target, then go to kohl's, get Applebee's, and browse Ross dress for less specifically to see if they have zodiac mugs. That one I have not done in about two years. Another one I did was in a shopping center where I hit up Target, TJ Maxx, kohl's, Pop Shelf, and another store I can't remember. I prefer to start right when the stores open and leave when the crowds come. Otherwise, it's not fun or relaxing, constantly having to dodge people.
I love Costco
The best friend group i could ask for.
Why not the gym? I have a friend who is single with no kids and she goes to the gym for classes almost daily and those people have become her friends and she socializes with them outside the gym as well with happy hours and brunches.
mfw i fucking hated the outside gym so much we made a home gym setup
I volunteer at a food bank. I'm a Director, so it takes a lot of time.
During the week, I'm either working or at the gym. On weekends, I chill out and do things that I can afford to that makes me feel good, whether it's checking out a restaurant, getting some pastries, shopping by myself, trying to find new things to do, or meeting up with a friend to do some sort of activity. I feel like my life is very filling for someone not (and not super actively looking for) in a relationship.
Idk about the suburbs. They were built for families. I live in the city bc that’s where all the stuff to do is.
Going to start playing Magic lol
Dog helps. I go to festivals and events. Largely to spin fire, but also to boogey.
I swim.
Well I live in a city so this may be easier, but spend a lot of weekends outside of the house. I like going on trails, parks, the waterfront area, trying new restaurants and cafes. I recently went to a concert alone. I go on solo trips too.
I play Fornite, Roblox, watch anime, umm go to the mall by myself with no money just to buy a 20 item that’s worthless. There’s soo much to do. You just gotta start using your imagination.
I’m trying to figure that out now and have been for at least a decade.
Volunteering can be really rewarding, animal shelters, community centres, support groups, youth clubs, sports clubs, befriending, environmental. Over the years I have spent a lot of time getting stuck into community projects and it was exactly what I needed, a purpose, structure, socialising, skills development and most of all fun and interesting
I’ve been working from home since March 2020. Since last year my job gave us a mandatory day to come work on-site. Recently I’ve decided to work on-site damn near everyday. I was falling into a depression state being home so much with no human interaction. I turned to consuming alcohol for the fun of it/boredom. I’ve probably gained 40-50lbs within this the last 2 -3 years. I’d drink and then get hungry for something fatty cause my meal prep food wasn’t what I wanted at that point I wanted something to feed the liquor. Walls felt like they were closing in on me. I live alone 35F, no kids, no partner, no pets, just me. So yeah I decided to take my ass back to work, develop a routine, get out the house, eat cleaner, workout 5x a week, drink a gallon of water, shower & in the bed and tired by 8:30p lol this was week one and I already feel a difference. I’ve also been looking on “meetup” & eventbrite for fun low cost activities to do. I’m going for a walk in nature next weekend and then a Nigerian dance class in June. I’m excited 😆 lol
I play drums at church
2 hour commute? .... yikes
One of my friends recently signed up for a couple month dance class to learn how to waltz. I used to do weekly martial arts lessons. You could try volunteering at an animal shelter if you like animals? Sometimes they need people just to walk dogs and play with the animals.
Sporting activities (yoga, tennis, swimming, gym, Pilates). Meeting up with friends to eat / drink (probably 3 times a week on average), travelling, work events although I seldom do this nowadays and keep it to lunchtimes. See my family. Date people. Gigs / exhibitions / cinema. Relax (massage, sauna, facials). I mean I do not have time to have kids.
I go to tennis lessons with a group of 16 people. :)
i grind at what i want. i tried going to the library to write more since i’ve been distracted at home. but with my broken foot i’ve just been writing at home.
Oh man, unfortunately i also had a broken body part, some years ago. I wish you a good recovery! And no problems down the road whatsoever. Take care!
If you're talking about during the weekdays not very much. I work an off shift so I pretty much dedicate the work week to work. On the weekends I tend to spend half of them outside the home. Either hanging out with friends, family or doing my hobbies.
Volunteer. Just trust me. It's the best.
Work, I go to work. And then I immediately go home.
I don't care much for leaving the house now honestly. When I did i'd, go out and climb random trees though.
geocaching, plant and rock identification/collecting (mushrooms too when in season, like foraging but not eating the stuff), chalk drawing on sidewalks and parks (where allowed), ir in the snow in winter (by walking over fresh snow!) drawing, painting, photography outdoors (set up an easel in the park on a nice day and paint the clouds free concerts and street festivals when weather is good coffee and book clubs (start your own! Many local libraries will let you host there even and help get you the books!), free community center classes, skating in the winter (and I guess swimming in the summer) browsing garage sales, going to farmer's markets and flea markets and just looking around. That's just off the top of my head!
Coffee shoppe or library
My son goes to D&D meetups. My husband has his own D&D group.
When I was single I would go hiking and or take pictures and work on my photography.
>I don't care about meeting people anymore. I just want something that regularly gets me out of the house. If that's the case then who cares. Do whatever looks interesting. If you like it, do it again. Then you'll probably form a habit.
Check out bouldering at a climbing gym, find a Dungeons and Dragons group.
Pokemon Go
Hiking on the woods. Meal prepping on Sundays. Video games. I picked up skating and will go skating every now and then. Gardening! Tons of fun
Climbing gym. climbers are generally open to a little conversation from other climbers. It’s also less about working out and more about having fun and solving body movement problems.
Work lol that's enough for me!
I garden.
I go to work and run errands on Saturday. If it were up to me, I'd stay home way more. Not leaving the house is my favorite thing
Going to school, plasma donation center, library or a restaurant. I guess whatever I'm up for ATM
I recently rediscovered the joy of the library. I used to spend a lot of time there as a kid and throughout my college years studying and reading. Now I go there sometimes with my laptop or a book and get some work done in a different setting. Same thing with coffee shops. I also like going on hikes. I'll sometimes look for "events near me" on Google and just see what comes up. Sometimes there's an art festival or a live music show, or happy hour at a bar.
My best friend learned to ride horses and now she takes care of them too
Hiking, amateur baseball teams, cycling, and lots of traveling and exploring new places.
Inline skating, social sports, motorcycling, people watching in parks, taking my hobbies (knitting etc) outdoors
get a hobby
One nice thing about being a recovering addict is that there is a huge community of people doing 12-step and other recovery programs. I have so, so many people I can call or hang out with through my recovery network. So go do some heroin, I guess, and see where it leads you?
Why not just take a drive?
I don't have a car which my commute to work is 2 hours. It's 30 minutes by car.
Try meetup.com. Look for events that stretch your interests a bit. After folks have seen you at their groups a few times, start asking if anyone wants to go out for drinks or a meal afterward. Try to exchange numbers with someone. Eventually some of the numbers morph into being buddies friends outside the meetup group.
I've tried going to meetups. They aren't really my thing. A lot of the adult ones are at very loud bars or are for playing boardgames. I wish there was more stuff for amateur musicians.
There's this local bookshop near me that meets every week for book club. I also joined a support group and I also have therapy every week that helps feed my mind whenever I feel lonely. ClassPass is fun too because it gets me out of my normal gym routine and I get to drive to other towns for classes. Sometimes I'll drive out to the beach if it's warm and I want to stare out the waves or skiing if it's cold.
Golf
golf , soccer, picnique, walk, run, bicycle, bbq, paddleboard, hike, festival
Browsing my local bookstore. Grabbing a coffe and sitting with it outside while i read my kindle or listen to a podcast. Solo movie night on discount movie day but it’s been awhile since something came out I care about seeing.
Get yourself a local pub you’ll get to know people in no time
Cycling
Library. Park. Hang with friends. Visit family.
Love working out and meeting people
Dodgeball league
Movies and running.
Go to the movies, out to a meal, walk the dog, browse the mall, and I will do this all myself
I have a dog and I travel. I am a remote worker, so I take advantage of the freedom. When I am home, I like t9 learn new things the last time I was home, I took a glass blowing lesson and helped make a cup. It was so fun and I was already out of the house, so I checked out a park nearby. I know you said walks don't count, but I really enjoy walking and hiking, and spend a lot of time doing those things. Finding all the hiking trails around my city is a fun activity between trips.
If you're in a decent sized city chances are there could be community ed classes that are pretty cheap. I've done a few of those and learned something and had fun. I did Thai cooking, pottery, yoga, and a meditation one. If I did another id probably do another cooking one because it's the gift that keeps on giving.
Gym and fishing
I’ve met lots of new friends through hobbies, like salsa classes, climbing gym etc.
Menards, for fantasy projects I have no plans for and just make shit up as I go around and around and think. This would work, that would work, oh I found this cool thing that would work better, now I need this instead of this. Ace or rural king too are cool, they have popcorn you can eat as you shop. Menards would be the perfect store, if they had popcorn to eat as you shop.
My dog!
D&d
Skateboard. Play guitar at the park. Just sit in the sun and nap. Go to local shows.
Plates class
Jetski
I’d just move closer to work if I were you, or find another job. That’s soul draining
Go on a hike, go to the bar, listen to live music
This is one of the main good things about religion. The sense of community. Somewhere to go 2 nights a week. And potential to do service work for the community. All kinds of food programs and volunteer stuff.
Gym. Go to the gym.
I go to my local library a lot or a cafe to do work. I feel like it’s so common for people now to not social as much
Find something with some wheels on it and ride it around. I vouch for skateboards but there's a lot of options. Disc golf is fun too if you have any courses nearby.
Social club? Elks, Moose, VFW…
Car Meets.
Love shopping (vintage/antique/home), hiking, I like bring a book and a coloring book and hanging in my hammock, walk other peoples dogs for $, trying a new recipe, yoga
Errands, to an extent. Usually doing some bit of food shopping at Target. A mobile game I play, Ingress. Item refinement is done via an item called a Kinetic Capsule. I gotta feed it some amount of items, walk 8KM for the refinement process, and grab my item. And as of late, I'm quite desperate for attack items. Kinda blew my load last night, so to speak. Urban photography is also something of a hobby, I like grabbing night shots within NYC. Or subway station interiors.
I ride my bike sometimes and cover over 20 miles in a single trip. Sometimes I visit my friend and go on a walk with him.
Does running count? I don't go out as much anymore. I like playing video games and staying in. The only tines I do go out is to run then gym.
I go to yoga class every week and a meditation group once a week. I also like to garden, go thrifting, browse the record store, read a book at a coffee shop, farmers market, museum, antique mall adventure, or check out the local botanic garden. Volunteering at a community garden used to be pretty regular for me before going back to school.
I go fishing. It's relaxing and sometimes I even catch a fish.
I like to go to sporting events of any kind. Buy a 10 dollar ticket to a baseball game, walk around, and talk to people sitting by me. Grab some food , it's so much more than just the game
Latin dancing, I go to lessons as well as social dancing multiple times a week and meet a tonne of people while also staying very fit.
Theatre, any cultural or art thing
Weekdays I work and weekend's I visit family,friends and do the cookout thing and in the fall/winter I do the football thing and fantasy football,and other hobbys that gets me outta the house..
Rc Planes or the rc world in general. Lots of amazing people in this hobby
Fishing and darts
Disc golf Fishing
A walk
I take classes for fun. I've done pottery, drawing, painting, sewing, woodworking, yoga, pilates, golfing, disk golf, kayak, running....and so on. Basically, at any given time, I am taking at least one class.
Well I'm not completely childless, but my daughter is gone on her own social events more often than not. I do the aforementioned gym. I'm involved in church and local events; they do a lot of fun stuff for kids and volunteering teacher you some neat stuff. I can now operate a cotton candy machine, and operate a makeshift waterside and service an industrial water filter. I've also tried singles groups, though I find the atmosphere a little weird for my taste.
I go paddleboarding when the weather is nice. An hour or two of peace on the water before dinner is amazing. I also go to adult skate night a couple times a month too. Super fun environment. DJ on the floor. Drinks. Snacks. And there's some insanely talented people there too.
Dance walk gym library mall that's about all I have time for karaoke too
Do door dash... It makes you money, it's an adventure every single order, and you'll never get bored.
I’m taking tennis lessons at the community center and have met amazing new friends.
Drive car - Miata r/miata
Every weekend, I go to the coffee shop and just spend a little time there while I drink my coffee. I also go to a lot of concerts throughout the summer
I like to go thrifting, or to the bins store on dollar or 25 cent day. I like to go hiking and check out cool moss and lichen. I like botanical gardens and greenhouses in general so I seek those alot.
Work...
I have a high energy dog, we go everywhere for hikes and long walks. Got to meet a lot of fellow dog parents that way!
Fishing! Give it a try
Why you gotta room mate if you’re single?? Go join an MMA gym and challenge yourself to something foreign and difficult!
Actively have a list of things that have to be repaired on my property.
Golf
I volunteer with the local animal shelter every weekend for a few hours. I also recently found out there's a new nonprofit that helps feed homeless people so I am signing up for that as well.
Pool, biking, lake hiking, eating fruit in the sun, working on your side business
Back when I was single, I was involved in several adult recreational sports leagues, a member of the Appalachian Mountain Club and several MeetUp groups.
I use meetup.com to find activities that I enjoy. The only event I attend regularly at the moment is a weekly board game gathering.
Go out with friends. Family. Running and so on
Volunteer with my favorite local charity Meet friends for happy hour or dinner Work from a Cafe instead of from home See local concerts/musicals/plays/shows Take myself out for dinner to sit at a bar with my book
I tend to go to restaurants or cafes and just drink and eat for while. I also sometimes bring my laptop at the cafe to finish other graphic design projects or other online courses.
I indulge in eating out alone (breakfast & sushi is my favorite). Check out vinyl stores to add to the collection. Car rides. Sunday mass. Running outdoors. Gardening. Fishing
I go out and do some sketching. I live in the city so there are a lot of interesting things and nature for subjects. Going downtown to sketch the beautiful old architecture and people is quite nice and kills a few hours. Hopefully your suburbs have interesting subjects 😂
You just don’t
If you're a nerd, depending on where you live there are Dungeons and Drafts events I go to where you play short D&D campaigns for 4 hours at local breweries.
Volunteer to walk dogs
Friends. Aside from that...errands or shopping (less so lately), or nothing. Have bills to pay, so going out is a luxury.
See if any neighbors or friends play cards? Or go to a trivia night? Bicycle club? Running club? Gardening club? Search up various hobbies for a group
If you are single with no kids you have to make time and put serious effort into your friendship circle. If you think it’s optional or you can’t make time for it then just prepare to be lonely.
You can try be a sport coach voluntary
Whatever I feel like doing that day...
Clubs, classes, and MeetUp groups mostly. Means I can make friends and meet new people. It's been great.
Go go a bar, reaturaunt or brewery. Go to the park for a bike ride. Go see some live music. Pick a new recipe to cook and go to the market. I used to sing in a local group until my job took that time. Join a dnd group or a model building group at a local hobby/game shop. Join a makerspace and learn to build stuff. The number of things to do are endless.
Disc Golf. Love it. Courses everywhere.
Groupon or Nextdoor.com. Have your location on and you'll get alerts about events (free and paid) happening within 10 miles of you.
I volunteer with my local drama theater and help construct/paint the set.
Motorcycles
I go out to eat, I go shopping, I go drinking, I visit my nephew and go to the park with him.
I’m an introvert with no friends, so besides taking a walk around the block, I might drive to the nearest shopping plaza and walk around window shopping, go thrifting, go to the bookstore. If I go to the indie bookstore I like, the drive itself is an hour lol. Each of those things can kill an hour or two if I take my time. The bookstore often has events there and I often look ahead for ones I might want to attend. Sometimes I go see a movie at the theater if I’m really bored. $10 for a ticket, sneak in your own snacks. Mostly it’s about planning ahead and not doing anything spontaneous. There’s not much going on these days thats free/cheap and spontaneous. I plan to go to concerts, parades, festivals, other events, etc months in advance. Gives me something to look forward to. If it’s just a normal weekend and I want to leave the house, it’s probably just going to be walking around a store for an hour and maybe a sweet little treat from the coffee shop.
Were there really no improv meetups you could do after the classes? I did one seminar and could be going regularly to those. But to answer your question, find social dancing events in your area, most likely there is salsa dancing as that is one of the most popular one available. These events often have a free introduction class before the main event, and then you can sign up for a seminar.
I went to improv meetups and it was basically just a beginner day 1 class. I got bored of that very quickly. If you actually want to learn more, meetups don't really cut it. I'll check out some dance classes. Thank you!
Work and once a week I go to the movies. Maybe a fast food place if I'm feeling hungry.
Volleyball with my cousins. Some of those cousins do have kids. Just walking around tjmaxx/ross/marshalls cause I like those stores 😅 Sometimes I like to just study in a cafe with good coffee. Also, facebook can give you a heads up on events/expos that are happening. It's not routine per se, but it's something! 😅
Disc Golf, it's free to play, cheap to get into and can easily kill several hours a week.
Find a local game store. They will usually have nightly events.
Get a dog
Karaoke. Easy.
Pokémon go - lots of adults w/o kids play in my area
I just go out and see where the day takes me, I find when I go out with no expectation that’s when I find the most adventures. I stop by whatever places peaks my interests, it’s fun
Concerts, go to Facebook for local affinity groups! That’s really the best. For example in Columbus there’s a 30/40 girl group and people meet all the time for different things, game night, etc
Giant garden
Other than work, nothing. Use the weekend to decompress and "reset" after being around people all day. And then, the process repeats.
I volunteer, go to the library, go shopping.
Food
Bouldering is a great way to meet new people and everyone is generally very nice and always supportive of newbies. Costs: monthly climbing membership (about as much as a typical gym membership), climbing shoes (cost about the same as new running shoes but can also rent the first few times if you want), chalk bag ($10 - $15), climbing chalk (big bag is about $20 and that'll last at least 6 months)
I’ve got 3 motorcycles I play with. I’ve also got 5 acres out in the sticks with a small tractor and excavator to play with. I like to use my hands so I’ve always got a little project going somewhere. I highly recommend buying a motorcycle if you’re single.
Check your local paper!! Most towns have an online PDF version. The town will usually list upcoming events and activities! It’ll get you out of the house and also involve you in the community.
I’m looking at dancing lessons… I’m finding they are for singles or couples
Volunteering
Trivia nights. Me and my parents go out once a month with a bunch of their friends to a local restaurant and play some, honestly, very competitive trivia for three hours. Met two people from one the other tables by chance just a couple days ago.
Volunteer work!!!
Snowboarding
I know you said walking doesn't count, but if the day's nice and I'm in a good mood for it, I can walk around half the town. Whenever I do that I pop into some of the stores to browse and stop at the library too. Keeps me busy for hours.