20 ways to celebrate yourself on your birthday alone
It’s not my first solo birthday, and technically I live at home, so a couple of my family members will be here later in the evening. While I may not get to celebrate 31 in the ways I want to - with lots of my loved ones around - I’ve actually found that I love a quiet, cozy, solo birthday.
Birthday or not, here are 20 things you can do to celebrate yourself today (you can find numbers 1-12 on my Instagram here):
12. Practice gratitude
Gratitude journaling, keeping a jar of little notes of things that you’re grateful for, or simply sitting and reflecting on everything you’re grateful for. You’ve made it through 100% of your toughest days, you deserve to be proud of yourself for that alone.
13. Spend time with people or in places that make you feel celebrated
For me, this is with friends I’ve known for a while. People I can be myself around. People that make me laugh to the point that my stomach hurts and I might even pull a muscle in my old age ;)
14. Have a main character moment and take a stroll around your local market
15. Do something for others
This year, my birthday happens to fall on the same day that I promised the MASIHA Free Clinic and Food Pantry that I would volunteer at their weekly food distribution to the local community!
16. Try something new
I went pottery painting with my best friends last weekend, and candle-making with my sister last month. Both were great experiences that I would absolutely do again!
17. Have a photoshoot
As someone with body image issues galore, I love taking pictures of myself as a way to celebrate my body and everything it has given me. I use this adjustable phone tripod and my Apple Watch to take pictures without a timer.
18. Movie marathon and/or read-a-thon
My favorite movie marathons: Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Twilight, Divergent
My most-watched TV series: Prison Break, Suits, The Mindy Project
My current reads: Demon Copperhead, The Cabin at the End of the World, Throne of Glass. You can find all my reads on my StoryGraph here.
19. Make something beautiful (paint, write, diamond painting)
For my fellow anxious Barbies - make something with your hands. I’ve been wanting to take up watercolor. My patient got me into diamond painting to deal with anxiety, and I really like it.
20. Snag some freebies
Actually your birthday? There are lots of places that offer free gifts and various discounts on your birthday. My favorites are the free drink at Starbucks, free mini gift set from Sephora, a free mini bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes, and a free burger from Red Robin (note that you must be a rewards member for most birthday gifts and discounts, but in most cases it’s free to join!).
21. Turn off your phone.
Ok, fine, Do Not Disturb at least?
22. Do something alone that you haven’t been able to get anyone else to do with you
There are movies I haven’t seen, places I haven’t been, food I haven’t tried, and hobbies I never learned because my friends or family weren’t interested
23. Forgive and let go
There’s a saying: “Holding a grudge is like drinking poison and hoping the other person will die.” Holding anger, resentment, or hatred can become physically painful - I feel a lump in my throat, weight on my chest, shortness of breath, and anxiety and a foggy brain when I’m angry with someone else. Forgiveness is for you, not them.
24. Decorate your home and your workspace
No matter how short my stint, I always decorated my clinic desk with things that represented me and made me happy. Items like plants, cute notepads and nice pens, and some decorative blue light blocking glasses. Home doesn’t have to be your only safe space, if your work allows it, use the space to make yourself at ‘home’ there, too.
25. Use your PTO
Your job will be just fine without you for an hour, a day, a week. You get PTO for a reason (and if you don’t, find some other way to get vacation because that’s bananas), use it. You don’t have to give an explanation and you don’t have to have anything special planned. Just take that time for yourself and do one of the other things on this list, or do nothing at all!
26. Schedule an appointment with your therapist
27. Throw yourself a party
You don’t have to be pregnant, have had a baby, or be getting married to be celebrated and given gifts and quality time. In fact, you don’t need an occasion at all. Grab your favorite pals and celebrate yourself the way us Leo’s do every day.
28. Cross that dreaded task off your to do list
No matter what it is, if you have the resources to get it done, eat the frog and do that task now. I promise, you’ll feel better that it’s done, no matter how awful the task.
29. Redo your space
I usually love rearranging my space to better match who I am at that time. This year, however, my room is SUCH a mess. I’ve been traveling a lot lately and I keep putting off cleaning. I was hoping to be done by the time my birthday hit so that I could enjoy the clean space, but it looks like I’ll be doing number 28 on this list along with you.
30. Cry
Hear me out: sometimes, vulnerability, if we even make it to that point, isn’t enough. A good cry can be so cathartic, so let it out bestie!
31. I don’t have a #31 yet. I’ll update this list once my birthday’s over and I’ve figured it out.
