Solo Cinema Trips

It may surprise you to know that the very idea of going to the cinema alone fills me with abject horror.   Buy a ticket for one and sit by myself?!  I might as well just get a sandwich board with “I HAVE NO FRIENDS” plastered on it and stand in the multi screen car park, surely?

Apparently not.

I spotted an article in Stylist magazine being shared online yesterday and it made me stop and think.  And possibly rethink my approach.   The article is entitled “Why going to the cinema alone is my favourite form of self-care”   In the article Kayleigh opens by listing all the things that drive me mad about the cinema, about why going to the cinema full stop winds me up (something I wrote about here:  Ranty Friday — The Cinema)   Food / talking / feet / ice rattling in mega sized cups / the smell of nachos / people standing up, they all wind me up so much that I have always thought the cinema to be the first removed place from my self care happy place as it was possible to be.

But what if I am wrong?   What if, like Kayleigh, going on my own is the answer?   Kayleigh links to research by Showcase Cinemas that suggests a quarter of you go to the cinema on your own up to three times a year:

And, according to a study by Showcase Cinemas the big screen has become a sanctuary for those looking for a little ‘me time’, with solo visits on the increase. Indeed, almost a quarter (24%) of those surveyed revealed that they go to the cinema on their own up to three times per year, and more than a third (36%) say they much prefer the solo cinema experience over going with company.

Maybe going to the cinema isn’t about being in the cinema.  It isn’t about what is happening on the big screen in front of you, or even what is happening around you in that moment.   It is about what is happening in your head for the next two hours.   Your phone is in your bag,  you don’t have to make small talk with your companion before the adverts start.  You don’t even need to dissect the plot line or rave about a particular actor with them when you leave.   You can sit in your car or drive home continuing that zen feeling of being in your own thoughts.

Of not having to deal with what needs to be done later in the day, or that landed in your inbox earlier on.  You really can be in the moment for a few hours.   That makes it one of the best acts of self-care then doesn’t it?  Especially if you add some chocolate into the mix?!

I did a very very scientific survey to find out what my friends on Instagram thought:

Sally from Who’s The Mummy says:

Lizzi replied:

Chara said:

Janine from Birth, Baby and Family says:

This is from Sarah pretty much then sealed the deal for me:

I must admit that having a massive Dolby surround sound belting 480 inch cinema screen to distract me from my to do list or the worries I carry in my head is becoming more and more attractive.   The idea that I could leave them all in the carpark appeals to me.

Maybe I could park them behind the sandwich board?

Photo courtesy of Unsplash