THE SOLO EDIT: CINEMA TRIP

Even in my most anxious solo activity stages, visiting the cinema alone has always been something that hasn’t bothered me, so when I realised this is a very key event that others struggle to do alone, I was stunned. This was something I did often when at uni, with a Cineworld around the corner and £3 tickets, you couldn’t keep me away (that’s the reason I saw Dunkirk 7 times in the cinema), I was there at least weekly.

I’d like to say that the key thing about visiting the cinema is the fact you sit in silence for 90+ minutes, if you’re someone who chats at the cinema during a film then sorry but you should be banned. I truly cannot tolerate it and don’t see how others should have to either. So straightaway, the only purpose having someone coming along with you to watch a film would be the physical presence of them being there.

A large part of the anxiety in going places alone is actually entering alone or asking for a ticket/table etc for one, if you’re able to book your ticket online then that immediately eliminates the need to speak to a member of staff to buy a ticket or showing that you’re coming alone. There seems to be this strange self stigma that makes us feel silly for admitting we’re doing something on our own when most of the time other people don’t actually care.

For my most recent cinema trip, I booked my ticket on Vue’s website (with my Monzo free Vue cinema ticket code) and then visited Manchester’s Printworks, the Vue there is huge and has really frequent film viewings. After a very productive solo activity day, I figured why not keep the momentum going and catch a new film before the day was done and I headed home for dinner and an early night.

To be honest, I picked quite a rogue film, it’s about the prediction of the weather on the originally proposed D-Day and the importance of said prediction that could have lead to a very different outcome for the world wars, if you’re not familiar it’s called Pressure and it was the type of film I needed for a drab Thursday afternoon. The screening was quiet with only a handful of us in there, I sat right at the back (often I used to sit in the back far corner seats if I was having a more anxious day and do highly recommend this) so I could guarantee a clear view.

I scanned my ticket upon entry and that was the only time I had to interact with anyone, not that I would have had an issue interacting, but just incase that does make you nervous. I took my seat, unpacked my snacks, and reclined in my seat ready to shut off my brain and the outside world for a couple of hours.

If you haven’t yet done this, I can’t recommend it enough!

What solo activity do you want to see next?

S xo