\nNot only do I go out alone, I actually enjoy it. Perhaps it’s growing up an only child kind of thing, this level of comfort with being on my own. Maybe it’s even an impatience with having to deal with other people at times. Or, as it is in my personal opinion, maybe it’s simply the product of a deep relationship with one’s self – whether it’s already cultivated or just only starting to. Whatever it is, this didn’t always come automatically.<\/p>\n
Whatever your reason is for going out alone – it’s even as simple as nobody else is free – I’m sure panic has crossed your mind at some point, especially when it comes to meals in high traffic establishments. I personally have had my own fair share of worries, coz it didn’t “seem natural”. What will other people think of me? <\/i>and What does this say about myself? <\/i>were some of the things that crossed my mind. What got me through is remembering that these are just constructs our brains came up with; there’s no law that says a person can’t eat dinner or watch a movie or travel or pretty much whatever alone. Does it concretely affect me, what strangers think? <\/b>Not really.<\/u> It might bother me a bit, but at the end of the day, they’re not doing anything to me. If anything, it’s me who does things to myself. I can become paranoid that the whole restaurant is talking about solo-dining me, that when a server asks if I “want bread to go with that”, I take it as a threat and act hostile towards her which in turn makes her pissed and badmouth me to the other staff – self-fulfilling prophecy<\/i>. So yes, it’s not really that bad. Like I said here<\/a>, nobody really cares. Once you’ve tried it and come out unscathed, you become braver and what seems natural begins to shift. Until pretty soon, it becomes normal and you no longer drop your voice (and pride!) when you ask for a table for one.<\/p>\n I’ve listed a few tips to help you ease into being comfortable dining out on your own. I’m not insisting everyone must<\/u> eat alone (we all have our thing and I respect that!), it’s more for people who actually want to do it but haven’t found the courage to do so. So, without further ado…<\/p>\n\nReg’s Top 5 Tips on Dining Out Alone<\/h4>\n
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