Spending time alone. Sounds kind of scary, right? Truth is, it doesn’t have to be.
I spend a lot of time with myself (as an introvert does) and the reality of it is that I enjoy it. Spending time alone doesn’t have to be lonely (I’ll get more into that in a bit). That is something I have had to learn. Because yes, it can get lonely. However, there is a lot of growth that can come from spending time with yourself. And I think that’s the goal – to always grow and evolve into a better you. To figure out the things that bring you pure joy and what you want in life. And that comes from being by ourselves.
So quick back story. I spent a lot of my senior year at college by myself. My roommate graduated a semester early and had a full time job that required her to travel a lot (which she has been thriving at!). So that left me living alone in a city. Now as much as I loved living in the city my social anxiety didn’t necessarily allow for me to leave my apartment a lot. So naturally I started to feel lonely. After awhile I eventually realized that hey, I actually kind of like spending time with myself? Something about having a space to yourself and doing little things for yourself I started to really enjoy. I realized how much I value me time and how crucial it was for me to have that.
Fast forward, I am now graduated figuring out post-grad life (that’s a whole conversation for a post itself) and the reality of that…spending a LOT of time by yourself. I currently live at home, which I actually enjoy because something I have also realized is how important family is to me. But, everyone’s schedule is so different that I ultimately am by myself a lot. What I have come to realize is that I am at a point in my life where spending time with myself is really important. It gives me the chance to figure out what I want to do with my life, my values, what I don’t want, etc. That is the reality of being in your 20’s (scary I know). But also a really neat thing if you can get past the lonely part. It’s a super weird transition period, things feel stagnant but with that I have become grateful for the time I get to be with myself and learn more about myself.
I feel proud of myself for being able to be alone and be content with that. It’s not easy and I’m not always perfect at it. But in a years time I’ve learned a lot and have become comfortable being my own company (now if we could only work on that social anxiety of mine…).
Some things I love doing alone:
Baking: I am a sweet tooth at heart so I love making cookies, brownies, banana bread, etc. It’s super therapeutic for me and allows for me to focus on just one task.
Running: Yes, running is one of my favorite things to do. It’s the one thing that clears my mind and makes me feel good and super energized. I usually feel the happiest after a run.
Journaling: Something that I only recently started doing but have found to be super useful. It allows for me to put my thoughts to paper, be creative and learn more about myself. If you have a lot of thoughts (like me) I highly suggest trying to journal them out.
Reading: Something I also only recently have been getting into. It was a goal of mine to start reading and I’m so happy I have. It’s relaxing and allows you to dive into a story other than your own. Plus there are soooo many books out there, you are bound to find something you’d like!
Listening/Curating Playlists: I think music is the greatest thing ever and the type of music you listen to says a lot about you. I’ve really honed in on what music I love listening to and what moves me. It has led me to learn more about myself and what I might be like as a person.
Watching Movies/TV Shows: I am a night owl through and through. So I enjoy my little night routine of getting a snack, putting my diffuser on and watching my favorite tv show or finding a new thriller movie to watch. It’s probably when I feel most at peace during the day.
Needless to say, don’t take being alone as a negative. Turn it into time spent getting to know yourself. The outside world can make that hard to do. We compare ourselves a lot (guilty) to the people around us which can make spending time with ourselves that much more difficult. Everyone is on their own journey and you’d be surprised by just how many people spend time alone. Embrace that. At the end of the day all we have is ourselves, so it’s important to know that person and enjoy their company 🙂