I’m going to talk about something that I feel like a lot of people need now and then: alone time. Not the “bad” kind of alone time away from people when you’re mad at them. I’m talking about the good kind of alone time to just enjoy yourself and having “you” time. There are some people, like me, who love the company of others and are afraid of being by themselves. But having time to yourself can be good for you. There are times when being alone is the best place to be. Some people think it’s not good spending time alone. Some would say that it means you’re antisocial and you don’t need anyone, or no one needs you. But being alone doesn’t mean any of that, or at least it doesn’t have to be.
I’ve always liked being surrounded by people and just being in the company of others. However, I often feel like people think I come across as antisocial because I don’t talk much. I was labeled as the “Quiet Girl” for most of my life and I felt that I was being a burden to others because of that. I felt like others wouldn’t want to be around me because of my quietness and that I had to learn to be alone and be happy by myself. It turns out that having alone time is a bit rewarding. You don’t have to worry about planning for more than one person to go out, when you can simply go out on your own. I understand that sometimes it’s not safe to go out on your own, especially in a public area. Whenever I’m bored and no one is free to hang out, I’d usually walk around Savannah on my own and have my own little adventure. If it’s not safe to go out, I just stay in and watch a movie or read a book.
People say that you don’t need a bunch of people in your life, like a large friend group, in order to enjoy life. It may not be easy at first, but you learn to accept that. You can be more self-reliant and make decisions without anyone’s help. I always seek approval from my family, friends, colleagues, teachers, etc. and I never think to consider what I want. Whether the decisions I make would be good for me or not, regardless of what others think, I learn to think for myself. Being alone can be quite useful to take some time to yourself. It can be a great opportunity for you to recharge and recover from any previous conflict with a negative person. It’s a great opportunity to reflect and think about your life and what you want to change and what you don’t want to change. It also makes you more productive. Spending some time alone can be a good opportunity to make progress toward your personal goals. All the tasks you were unable to take on because you were busy can be taken care of.
Finally, another way that spending time alone would be good for you is to value the people around you. When you take time for yourself, it becomes even more enjoyable to engage with others. Now that you have had some alone time, you begin to miss the company of others. Everyone needs space from people now and then, but eventually they return to them. So, it’s totally fine to be alone. It helps us understand who we are, what we want, and what we can do to become better people. Don’t be afraid of giving the people around you space and take some time for self-care and simply be alone. Remember, sometimes being alone is the best place to be.