In lockdown when my family went back to work, I was left home alone and feeling a bit overwhelmed. I had no idea what I was going to do with all my time! 

I instantly threw myself into being ultra productive, then would feel disappointed in myself if I didn't complete everything on my to-do list. But we were and still are going through a global pandemic, no one is going to feel 100% every day. 

Before this, I had really never spent time on my own. Always being at school then coming home to a full household didn't give me that chance. Lockdown taught a lot of people to slow down which was definitely the case for me. I had time to do things that I enjoyed without feeling like I was missing out on the busy (silent) world outside. And time to do things I would never have made the time for before. 

But I never thought I would be that person. I always thought I was a 'people' person and I still definitely am but I also think it is really important for us all to spend time with just ourselves to recharge or to just even process our own thoughts. 

I thought I would share some things I love to do on my own, some of them are quite simple but hopefully it will give you some inspiration if you don't do any of these things already. 

1. Walk out the door and see where your feet take you. 

I found that whenever I used to go for a walk, I always had a plan, something I needed to get from town, a friend to meet or a time I needed to get back by so having a bit more freedom felt so good. Listen to a podcast, walk to the beach or your nearest park and have a wonder. I loved going on 'photo walks' too where I took a photo of anything cool I spotted. It made me really appreciate the surroundings that are just on my door step. Or I would leave my phone at home to have some time away from it getting some fresh air whilst feeling 'zen'.

2. Exercise...running or yoga?

I've talked a lot about running before and how it really helped my mental health especially during lockdown but a more recent endeavour of mine is yoga. It's something I'm not particularly good at as I have possibly the worst balance in the world but I love trying something new and knowing I will become better in time. I think it's so good to take some time out of your day, morning or evening, to take part in a bit of exercise. For me, it makes the world of difference on how I feel during the day. Yoga is so good to stretch, focus on breathing and it can be so stress relieving. 

If you want to follow along with the same yoga practice as me, I use 'Buswellness' on YouTube created by Strictly's Dianne Buswell. It's tough but amazing! 

3. Colouring

Annoyingly, I never bought an actual colouring book in Lockdown but I did print off a few pages and completed them outside on a sunny afternoon. It was so therapeutic and took my mind somewhere else for a while. For my birthday last week, I received a Vogue colouring book which looks so cool so I can't wait to get stuck into that soon. 

4. Cleaning (+listening to music!)

Call me weird but I love to clean and tidy. Whether that's my room, unloading the dishwasher or using the hoover. It's a good time passer and you can have fun doing it if you listen to music. And if you're on your own, you really can dance like no one is watching. Maybe use the duster as a microphone?

5. Writing, journaling or scrapbooking

In my spare time, you'll often find me writing on here or in my notebook. I find it so helpful to write down my thoughts or anything that's on my mind. I think my notes app on my phone is just full of to-do lists! But one thing I do want to start doing is journaling and writing down affirmations, I've been meaning to do it for a while. I love writing so much, it just feels so calming to me! 

What would you do if you had some time to yourself?

Bethan xx