Finding community is key for combating loneliness, but what about fostering a connection with the person you spend the most time with? Learning how to connect with yourself is a surefire way to make alone time less lonely. Here, experts share five tips for strengthening your relationship with yourself.

Take Stock

Whether you’ve just woken up and want to set the tone for your day or you’ve found yourself with time alone, get in the habit of hitting pause to check how you’re feeling in the moment—it can be game-changing for enjoying solo time. “Ask yourself, ‘What do I need right now? What is my body telling me?’ That’s the way to start having a mindful relationship with who you are and what you need,” says DC therapist Alban Zamora. Just as you’d ask a guest in your home if they need anything, treat yourself with the same hospitality. This can be a good tactic, too, says Zamora, for navigating stressful moments filled with ruminating thoughts.

Put Pen to Paper

Meditating on how you feel has benefits, but often, writing it down is the key to dislodging unease, making it easier to tune in to yourself. “Journaling slows down the brain and helps us collect our thoughts,” says Dupont Circle therapist Karen Osterle. Don’t rely on your Notes app, though. “You have to go old-school,” she says. Putting pen to paper can slow a racing mind in ways tapping on a smartphone can’t, and it’s a good activity to integrate into me time.

Lean Into Paradox

Counterintuitive as it may seem, connecting with others can actually strengthen the connection with self. Band says there’s a level of universality to the human experience, and when we find peers with similar struggles and joys, it can be healing to recognize we’re not alone in our feelings. You can draw on that understanding in moments when you feel isolated.

Move Your Body

“Exercise is medicine,” Osterle emphasizes. “You’re using both sides of the brain, and that has a way of relaxing it.” For solitary time that strengthens both your body and your relationship with yourself, go for a walk, take a bike ride, or roll out a yoga mat at home. “As long as you’re cleared by your doctor, exercise has been proven in study after study to be helpful,” Osterle says. Many of the therapists we spoke to also recommend combining movement with being outside and in nature.

Let It Go

This one can be especially challenging for ambitious Washingtonians. People who value growth may feel like they’re falling behind by “just being,” notes Band. But being content isn’t a sign that you’ve stopped growing. “It means you’re learning how to be present with who you already are,” she says. On the couch, at the park, wherever you find yourself. “Maybe what I need is just to sit down for five minutes—it doesn’t need to be more than that,” says Zamora. Being at ease with solo time—even when it doesn’t seem productive—can be part of the mindset shift you need to stop feeling lonely. You may even come to embrace those moments of solitude.

This article appears in the October 2026 issue of Washingtonian.