When I look back to my younger self, I can’t believe the difference In myself, when I was around 17 up until I was about 21, I used to struggle being by myself and I hated the thought of being in my own company, fast forward to now as a 26 year old and I feel I have such a love for spending time by myself and enjoying my own company.
So if you feel you struggle with being alone and spending time by yourself, keep reading, I will share some of my tips and tricks that helped me overcome that feeling and how I went from not enjoying my own company, to thriving in it.
First of all, it’s important to talk about why it matters that we do spend some time alone. When you spend time alone you are giving yourself chance to:
- Reflect on your thoughts and how you are feeling
- Recharge your energy
- It gives you a chance to get creative a pursue your passions without distraction
- Understand your emotions more deeply.
These are a few points on why solitude is good for you, yes it is important to socialise and connect with other but being comfortable with your own company and having some time for yourself is just as important, if you are constantly around people, the noise of this can distract you from all of the above, so it is important you do take some time out and get comfortable being with yourself.
Ways to get comfortable being alone
- Journalling: Anyone who consistently reads the blog knows that I love me some journalling, this is a nice way to break into spending time by yourself, schedule some time out of the day to being alone with you, your journal and your thoughts and right whatever it is you are feeling, goals, things you are proud of and grateful for and also things you want to improve work on – this is a great way to spend time by yourself and get comfortable with it overtime
- Take yourself on a solo date: You are going to be with you for the rest of your life, so go out and treat yourself and do something by yourself, take yourself out for dinner a coffee, go and watch a movie, this is something I have been doing for a while now and it is starting to become one of my favourite things to do, and younger me wouldn’t believe it! Give it a go!
- Get comfortable being uncomfortable: For somebody quite new to spending time alone, this can make you feel anxious, sad, lonely, which is completely normal, however, don’t try and push these feelings away, instead take a deep breath, acknowledge the feelings are there and know that they will past, you can then do something that make you feel calm and that you enjoy, for example, put some music or a podcast on, journal your thoughts, read a book, do some exercise, go for a walk, anything that make you feel YOU, do it and I promise you will start to get comfortable in your own company.
I hope that this has helped you in some way to understand the benefits of solitude and why it is as important as socialising. Give those tips and tricks a go on how you can get comfortable in your own company, YOU CAN DO THIS! And as always I am proud of you!
Lots of love x