The Benefit of Alone Time

How are you with being alone? Some people treasure it while others run in the opposite direction! For many of us, the only real alone time we get is while driving in a car or a quick ten-minute shower. Not nearly good enough! Most of us don’t even know how beneficial and inspiring alone time can be! Signs that you need more alone time are quite telling. Do you know what you really like to do in your free time? Do you have a favorite pass time? Do you have a hobby that you like to do alone, such as reading, handiwork, daydreaming or puzzle making? When was the last time you got to do any of this and really lose track of time doing it. I am not talking about squeezing it in or feeling guilty because you believe something else is being neglected.

Being alone allows time for you to meet your own needs, not just everyone else’s. There will always be someone else’s needs to be met! If you make time to meet your needs then you are better able to face the challenges of the day. Makes sense!

So what keeps you from making alone time? Are you one of the people who would rather be busy, busy, and busy? Do you believe it shows the world how productive you are, how important, how needed? Be honest with yourself. Honestly, you know this can only go on for so long and then you get crispy, burnt out or resentful. And who does that resentment get focused on? Everyone and everything else. Rarely do busy people recognize that they are in control, most of the time, with how they spend their time.

Solitude can offer us mental diversion from the stress filled tasks and lists we carry around with us. Time alone can allow us opportunity to learn more about ourselves. Separateness can be a fostering of inner peace as we intentionally seek just being in the moment. Time alone can bring play back into our life. Alone time can feed our spirits, rest our minds, and celebrate our bodies and so much more.

The next time you map out your day, put in some alone time. Find a way to make it fit. Find a half hour, fifteen minutes even, to get to know a part of you that may feel neglected or needs some personal attention. You will be surprised at how good it feels and how much it will benefit you. You may even want to do it daily!