The Importance of Alone Time: The Benefits of Being By Yourself
By: Sydni Hatley
Balancing your time is so important because it creates balance within your life as a whole. Many people operate as if they constantly need to be around others, or in the mix of the next biggest social event, but what they don’t realize is that this can actually do more damage to them long term than they might think.
Alone time is important because it allows for self reflection, the exploration of hobbies, and overall productivity. When you feel the need to constantly be around others, you are learning codependency and forfeiting the opportunity to learn yourself instead. For example, someone may go through a tough situation in their personal life like a breakup, and constantly choose to be around other people as a source for healing. Of course spending time around friends sometimes during that period can serve as a form of uplift, but depending on the social aspect of your life after a break up and when you are hurting will only slap a band-aid on the wound--not heal it.
Time alone during this period may feel painful at first because you’ll be forced to sit with your feelings, but pushing through that pain will allow you to face it and conquer it. You won’t be able to hide from the feelings or ignore them the same way you might when you are with your friends. The balance of both is important because you obviously do not want to drown in your own feelings, but the purpose of alone time during adverse times is to learn what you need and how to help yourself when no one else is around. Time with friends and social outings are just another plus to help you get through it!
The importance of alone time also includes learning yourself. They say that you have reached a true level of maturity when you are able to do things by yourself and be comfortable with it. Alone time allows you to slow down, reflect, and get things done that you otherwise wouldn’t if you were always out at the latest function. Many associate acceptance and enthusiasm for alone time with maturity because it is a time for you to get the work done that most people don’t want to do.
This includes but is not limited to internal work necessary for personal growth, the actual work you do in your career, and even physical activities that aren’t fun but will keep you healthy all around. Comfortability with alone time also signifies maturity because it shows that you are secure within yourself. You enjoy your own company and do not need other people to be happy, but can take company if it comes as well.
Spending time alone when you haven’t before can seem intimidating and even boring in the beginning. However, once you get comfortable and take the time to explore your hobbies and the things that make you who you are, you may never want to stop! You do not need to be alone all of the time, as too much of anything is never a good thing. However, the point is to find balance in how you spend your time, as that will create more balance in your life as a whole.
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