Some people think of “being alone” as a bad
thing. It either means you’re anti-social, or unwanted, neither of which are a
good position to be in.But actually, being alone isn’t’ necessarily a bad thing, as
there are a handful of benefits that emerge once you learn to embrace solitude.
I’m not advocating you go all Tom Hanks in Cast Away,
because no one can argue the benefits, and the joys, that come along with
fulfilling relationships with other people.
But I am saying that once you learn to enjoy being alone, you’re
going to grow as a person.
Below are ten amazing things that will happen in your life when
you start to enjoy being alone.
1. YOU’LL GET TO RECHARGE.
1. YOU’LL GET TO RECHARGE.
Often times when we’re surrounded by other people, we’re
expending a lot of energy. Trying to keep others happy, make them
laugh, soothe their egos, read their emotions, and all of the other rigors that
come along with regular interaction.
It can be mentally draining if you’re constantly connected to
other people. A little alone time lets you recharge and take a break from
the emotionally and mentally taxing job of constant interaction.
2. YOU’LL REFLECT
MORE OFTEN.
Your life is always moving at a crazy fast pace. So fast in
fact, that it’s probably rare when you have a moment alone to sit and reflect
on your life.
Being alone gives you the perfect opportunity for a little self
reflection. Since you aren’t spending so much time processing the thoughts and
feelings of others, it’s the best time to turn your focus inwards.
Solitude provides the perfect environment for reflection.
3. YOU’LL GET IN
TOUCH WITH YOUR OWN EMOTIONS.
Again, when you’re surrounded by other people all the time,
you’re constantly trying to read, and cater to, the other persons’s emotions.
So much so, that you could end up losing touch with your own.
When you start to enjoy being alone, you’ll gain a
greater perspective for your own emotions. You’ll create a deeper understanding
of what makes you happy, what upsets you, and what saddens you.
With that knowledge, it’s then easier to regulate your emotions.
But it all starts with understanding how you feel, and that comes from a little
bit of solitude.
4. YOU’LL START DOING
THINGS YOU ACTUALLY ENJOY.
When you’re constantly in the company of other people, you’re
always making compromises in order to find solutions that the entire group can
enjoy. And unfortunately, the things you want most, may not always
line up with what the group wants.
So it’s easy to enjoy being alone once you realize that doing so
gives you more freedom to do the things you actually want to do.
5. YOU’LL BECOME MORE
PRODUCTIVE.
Being in the company of other people can be fun and
entertaining, but it can also seriously affect your productivity. There are
times when the company of other people acts as nothing more than a distraction
from getting your work done.
Time spent alone can be some of the most productive time in your
life—mostly because there are less distractions, and you can just put your head
down and get to work.
6. YOU’LL ENJOY YOUR
RELATIONSHIPS EVEN MORE.
When you spend time alone on a regular basis, and
eventually start to enjoy being alone, you’ll come to find that you
also enjoy your relationships with other people even more.
And that’s because the time spent alone gives you a greater
appreciation for yourself.
But it also let’s you appreciate all the great things
that come from your relationships with other people, most of which you were
oblivious to before.
7. YOU’LL FEEL MORE
INDEPENDENT.
Once you enjoy being alone, you’ll feel more confident in your
ability to actually be alone. And that naturally leads to you feeling more
independent.
You’ll no longer feel that anxiety,
or burning desire for company, once you learn to enjoy being alone.
You won’t feel the need for constant interaction with other people, or
the anxiety associated with looking around and seeing no one but
yourself
.
8. YOU’LL GET A BREAK
FROM CONSTANTLY TRYING TO KEEP OTHER PEOPLE HAPPY.
Life is filled with relationships, and most relationships only
last when both people are kept happy. And that can turn into a draining job
depending who that relationship is with. Now, this does’t only apply to
personal relationships, but every kind of relationship.
Once you’re alone, the only person’s happiness you have to worry
about in that moment, is your own. You can treat yourself to thing
that makes you happy, but may have upset someone else.
9. YOU WON’T HAVE TO
APOLOGIZE FOR ANYTHING.
When you start to enjoy being alone, you’ll quickly
see that solitude means you don’t have to keep apologizing for what you’ve
done. So often, we do things that end up upsetting other people, or hurting
someone else’s feelings, and then have to quickly apologize for it.
But when you’re alone, you don’t have to apologize for anything.
And that takes a lot of pressure out of most situations. You get to
stop second guessing everything you say, or every move you make because you’re
afraid someone is going to be offended, or saddened, and angered.
10. YOU’LL STOP
LOOKING FOR VALIDATION.
So often we feel we the need to get the “OK” from our friends
and family before we take action. We constantly look to other people for advice
on what we should do next.
Of course, there are times where it’s not only perfectly
acceptable to ask for advice, but downright necessary. But there are also times
where we’re perfectly capable of acting on our own, be we instead of looking to
others for ananswer.
When you start to spend more time alone, you’ll learn
to trust your instincts and make decisions without any third party validation.
Source: lifehack.org, by
Tony Robinson