I live alone and I’m just wasting away my time here. It’s actually making me very depressed to be honest. I do live in the city which makes think there ought to be at least something to do out here. Though I can’t really afford to spent money on it every day.
So unless it’s like a one time purchase or if the costs are actually that low. What do you think I should do?
I suggest you read "The Game: Penetrating The Secret Society of Pickup Artists” by Neil Strauss. Not to become a ‘pickup artist’, which itself is a joke and a very shallow life even if one were “good at it”. No.
However, there is a chapter or two, I can’t remember how much but it could have been half the book, about self-actualization that I thought was very useful. About making your life full, so that you have a rich background of things you enjoy doing to bring people to.
It’s been forever since I read it, but it’s an interesting read, especially when Courtney Love is being den-mother to a houseful of pick-up artists in training. Neil Strauss can tell a story. He also wrote a biography about living with Mötley Crüe that is pretty depraved.
My first thought is going for walks around where you live. If there are green spaces along the way that’s even better. You can turn it into kind of a workout where you do longer and longer walks, or the same length but a little faster each time.
It’s a good way to clear your mind, it also never hurts to be active.
Some more variants if a workout isn’t your thing
- take photos on your phone when you see something nice
- contribute to OpenStreetMap by doing quests on StreetComplete (you answer questions about things you walk past)
- Geocaching, if you live somewhere with things to find
I didn’t know the StreetComplete app. It’s so cool ! Thanks !
Pokémon Go is also an option!
Mix it up by walking to local landmarks and public art.
Pokemon Go. It will entice you to take long walks in areas that you may otherwise not visit. I moved from a rural area to a big city and play Pokémon Go daily with my pup, rain or shine. We end up spending hours outdoors and it’s done great things for my mental health.
nice
Find a game store! Every city should have one or two places where people gather to play board games and card games. I’ve met some really great people just jumping into random magic the gathering matches. Only of my best friends was just some dude I met at the card shop, he was looking for a group to play dnd with and we’ve been meeting up once a week ever since.
Apps like meet up (if it’s still a thing?) may be really useful as well.
Look for volunteer opportunities. In my town I found a litter-picking group that met once a week. Then through members of that group I joined another one that maintains flower beds and planters around the town. Then joined an effort to rehabilitate an environment project on a nearby farm, and ended up in the beekeeping team. Another group I was in for a few years organises gentle walks for elderly folks. I learned a huge amount from all these things, and none of it cost me anything but time.
CrossFit, running club, November project, hiking club, board game clubs, DND clubs, Meetup.com events. Coed sports leagues like: disc golf, infinite Frisbee, soccer.
There’s also things like live figure drawing, music jam clubs, acting in local plays.
Search for
Boardgame club (insert your city name here)
Usually you’ll have a handful to choose from.
The ones in our city are:
$5 entry
Last for 10hrs
Go with friends or go alone and meet people on the day who want to play a boardgame
Mostly friendly/helpful people who want to teach and enjoy games with others
Choose your level of social interaction (no one will bat an eye if you only talk to play the game, and make no side chit-chat)
Fun everytime
Library.
Community theater is great for meeting people and usually basically free
If you have a university in your town often they will have some clubs that are open to the whole community and occasionally public lectures.
Museums and art galleries are usually pretty cheap especially if you keep your eyes open for the free stuff. I go whenever I see free stuff, or a new exhibit I’m particularly interested in.
I know people that do the indie concert scene, just going for any random concert under 20 bucks l. Sometimes the bad ones can be just as entertaining as the good. you go to maybe 1 show a week and spend the rest finding the concerts and maybe listening to them on spotify/sound cloud.
Indie movie theaters can also be a vibe. Mine is about 10bucks a ticket, but sometimes they have a free night and sometimes a pay what you can deal. I go every month or so. Last one was a scooby doo one, it had a “cheer whenever they say scooby” game, a drinking game and the previews were funny clips about scooby (robot chicken and that sort of thing) it is a very social experience and a lot of fun. Not free but clearly not for profit.
I think the best thing is to just walk around more, and just be on the eye out for stuff that interests you. Actually read the fliers on posts, join local social media groups to find out what’s up, keep an open mind and look to push your comfort zone and look out for local community stuff over corporate for profit stuff.
Photography is free if you have a smartphone.
Sabotage an electrical substation! Punch a fascist!
(/s I don’t condone violence)
Drawing / urban sketching.
I like going for a walk around the city or to the Rhine river and watch the ships go by.
If you’re the social kind, go to the park and ask someone who plays frisbee or other activity to join in.
Running is a great sport that’s relatively cheap and also helps against depression.
Geocaching is fun alone and with other people, but not in the city (in my opinion).
Check your local newspaper and see what events are going on. Sometimes they are cheap or even free.
Frisbee golf, biking, rollerblading, skateboarding, gardening, cooking, painting, geocaching, hiking, fishing are all pretty cheap to get into.
I want to second cycling. It’s a good way to explore your city for free as well as getting shape. There are often cycling groups that you can join as well if you want to socialize on top of it
chess or other board games are inexpensive and you can learn a lot and make friends along the way.
Fotography can be expensive, but if you do it just as a hobby, you could take your phone or get a cheap camera and try to get up early on weekends and take some photos of the city.
reading books, especially about animals (specifically birds) could be an option too.
So just like take a chess board to a park or something?
If you see other players. Probably less awkward to try to find a club.
I agree on board games.
See if there are Board Game shops in your city. If they have tables for Magic the Gathering you can check their calendar and usually find open board gaming nights. In my experience people usually bring a bunch of their own games and are open to new players. Some of the people in our group don’t own any games; the rest of us are always bringing more than we can possibly play anyway.
