How I started to enjoy my alone time and how you might be able to as well:
While it can be hard to start enjoying alone time because it seems scary, it is much needed even when we do not acknowledge it. I was and sometimes still am the type of person to ask a friend to accompany me on simple tasks such as running errands. Now, everyone is going off in their own directions to see what life has in store for them, and I had no other option to do these tasks by myself. While it can be an uncomfortable feeling being alone with your thoughts, it helps you understand them more and not having anyone else’s conflicting thoughts intrude on your own. Over this past year is when I have really been able to experience life alone. While I have many friends, family, and a boyfriend I adore, and have people who are always there for me, as well as being at a college of fifteen thousand people, I find that I want to do things alone a lot of the time. Shockingly enough, college can be a lonely place and time when adjusting despite the abundant amount of people I pass everyday. Enjoying this time alone and wanting it most of the time is something I never imagined. While I loved being around people a lot of the time, I’ve always known that I also favor my alone time, or a frequent night in with my dad and dogs watching a movie as a way to reset and unwind. While I did not make an attempt to become more independent and enjoy this time alone as I would say I fell into it, I am going to provide some examples of how enjoying my own presence became less like a task on the to-do list but rather something I made time for.
- Limiting social media time
- While I did not initially fully eliminate social media from my day to day routine, I set timers on the different social media apps. I soon realized that half the social media I have is the same as the last, and thought about which social media is crucial for me to have to keep receiving important information and which social media do I want to keep for fun. With that being said, I kept Facebook for a palace to receive school and work information and VSCO and Snapchat for fun. I got rid of Instagram and Tiktok, both apps I felt like I was scrolling just for the habit and checking multiple times a day when the same feed was always going to be there.
- Walking
- While this method has become vastly popular, I found myself deciding to cram in a walk before work in the morning. I always thought it was a hassle to do something before work but walking is the most simple activity that could be done. If I wanted a change in scenery I could always get to work early and walk around that area.
- Self-Care
- I’m a self-care gal who praises her baths and night routine. This is the one time of my day that I have just to myself and can take as long as I want with. It makes me feel refreshed and not feel guilty for spending time for myself to recover from a week of social and self-expectations.
- Use the time to your advantage
- Use your time alone to be productive. Whenever I find that I can’t focus or really relax, I clean. I believe that having a clean space makes you feel refreshed and the cleaning process can make you feel productive.
- Try new hobbies
- Whenever I find myself bored I would find a random craft to do or some new activity to try. This can open new horizons and may even help one find something they thoroughly enjoy participating in. This can be where someone feels distracted from their mind to focus on the task in front of them. This is a great way to slow down from what “needs” to be done and making time for what one is passionate about is very important to maintaining a balance.