How To Be Less Of A Homebody & Actually Leave The House

How To Be Less Of A Homebody & Actually Leave The House ©iStock/DGLimages

Staying in always trumps going out, but all your friends keep pushing you to go out more. Why? You’re happy staying home. After all, you pay the bills and have it laid out just like you want it. Why not enjoy it? Still, a small part of you wishes you felt more like doing something outside your home more often. Don’t worry — you can be less of a homebody without giving it up completely.

  1. Start going out by yourself. Conversation is a pain in the ass, but there’s good food out there that you can’t have delivered. Go ahead and take yourself out for dinner or go to a movie you’re dying to see and know Netflix won’t get for years. It’s a small step, but an easy one.
  2. Host small parties. It’s not that you don’t care about your friends, you just wish they’d come over instead of wanting you to to go out. Invite them over and host small parties every few weeks. You’re still making an effort, but you don’t have to leave home.
  3. Find a new hobby. As you start learning a new hobby, you have to go out for supplies. This inevitably leads to talking to someone about the hobby. It’s best if you choose something social though, such as bowling or playing pool. If you’re enjoying yourself, you’re less likely to feel like you’d rather be at home.
  4. Go to local meetings for your new hobby. Sites like Meetup give you a chance to interact with people who share a similar interest. You can even start your own local group. Then, it’s easier to know what to talk about while exploring more about your favorite hobbies.
  5. Take a weekend vacation. Traveling solo might sound horrifying, but imagine a vacation where you made all the rules. Kind of sounds like staying in right? Sure, you’ll have some fears at first, but once you go on just one vacation for the weekend, you’ll be dying to do it again.
  6. Create a bucket list. Often times, your homebody shell is reinforced by reading stories about other people. You live vicariously through them. But what about what you want? Create your own bucket list and start living your own life.
  7. Go to just one lunch or dinner a week. Your friends love you, even if you don’t like doing everything they do. They’re probably texting you with invites all the time. Give in to at least one lunch or dinner with them. They’ll appreciate the effort and you’ll still get to have fun with them.
  8. Change up something at home. One of the main problems with being a homebody is nothing ever changes. That level of consistency gets boring quick. Not up to going out? Start by re-arranging your furniture or painting the walls. Major changes show you that a change to your routine isn’t all bad.
  9. Take a weekly class. Always wanted to learn to dance or cook? Take a class. You don’t have to go out all the time, but a few weekly classes helps you see how much fun life is when you’re not always sitting home alone. Feeling adventurous? Invite a friend to do it with you.
  10. Keep it simple when you go out. You don’t have to go to a loud club or be around 20 of your friends all at once. It’s overwhelming. Just keep it simple. Go to dinner with just a few friends or try out a quieter bar versus the club.
  11. Start with short plans and build from there. You might want to go out, but not be gone for hours. Not a problem. Start with a short dinner or a quick shopping trip. You’ll only be gone a few hours at most and then you’re back at home where the world feels most right.
  12. Avoid faking who you are. You should never feel ashamed to be a homebody. Don’t fake it just to make your friends happy. If you hate getting dressed up or going to certain places, then don’t. Only accept invites to things you’re actually comfortable and at least somewhat happy doing.
  13. Schedule one away day every other week. It might sound like the start of a horror movie to you, but spending the majority of a day away each week could be enough to help you step completely out of your homebody shell. Take a day trip or make plans with several different friends throughout the day. Doing it only every other week makes it seem like less of a hassle.
  14. Give in to something your friends want sometimes. While you shouldn’t have to change yourself, randomly try something new with your friends. Maybe they really want to try a new restaurant or head out to a club. Try it with them. Remember, you can always leave if you really hate it.
Crystal Crowder is a freelance writer and blogger. She's a tech geek at heart, but loves telling it like it is when it comes to love, beauty and style. She's enjoys writing music, poetry and fiction and curling up with a great book. You can find her on Twitter @ccrowderwrites or check out her other writing on Medium.
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