Why Being Alone is Important
You might be spending more time than ever by yourself during the COVID-19 pandemic. While it may not be difficult to find extra time to yourself right now, it can still be tough to be mindful about the time you spend alone. You still may have plenty of distractions, especially social media, that take away from the thoughtfulness of being alone.
To clarify, there is a difference between being alone and being lonely. Too much time by yourself without connecting with others may cause loneliness and restlessness. However, there are times when being completely alone can actually have many benefits.
Here are 4 benefits of being alone:
You Have More Time for Self-Care
When you spend time alone, you have more time to take care of yourself. That could include meditating, journaling, spending time outside, or practicing a creative outlet. When you’re alone, you can dive deeper into these positive self-care activities.
Here are some more self-care ideas:
4 Ideas for Summertime Self-Care
Increased Creativity and Productivity
If you are alone, you have more time to be creative by trying out new things and listening to your own ideas. You’re also more likely to be productive because you have the space to focus on important projects.
Helps with Self-Reflection
By reflecting in solitude, you can increase your self-awareness and become more in tune with yourself. Alone time allows for reflection to evaluate what is or is not working for you, to process your feelings and to set intentions for yourself moving forward.
You Improve Your Relationship With Yourself (And Others)
Overall, being alone is restorative. It gives you space to improve your relationship with yourself and become more confident in who you are. When you get to know yourself better and build upon that relationship, you can also improve the relationships you have with the people you care about.
Additional reading:
Your Relationship with Yourself
While we have more time than ever right now to spend quality time with ourselves, we can use it to get in touch with our internal needs, ideas and feelings. When we learn to appreciate our own company, we ultimately improve our happiness and wellbeing.
