Celebrate Solitude

7 Benefits of Spending Time Alone!

Hi Everyone,

How do you feel about the time you spend alone, with yourself? The current pandemic has given many of us an abundant amount of time alone. I myself, love spending time alone. During this time I have been able to catch up with friends who live away, caught up on movies & series I’ve been wanting to watch, yard projects, house projects (somewhat), started sewing again, jewelry, launched my website, just to name a few.

Some people, like myself, love spending time alone. Others are more prone to feeling uncomfortable, restless or lonely. Regardless of how you currently feel about solitude, there are many benefits to be gained by spending some time alone each day.

The constant motion of our daily lives has resulted in many of us never taking time to be alone with ourselves. If you don’t like being alone, ask yourself why . . . If you’re not sure, try spending a few hours alone, without distractions, and see what happens.

Alone time can provide a sense of freedom that many of us lack in our day-to-day lives. It’s also a great time to relax, think, pray, listen and hear.

Consider these benefits of spending some time alone:

1.You can do whatever you want.

You get to do whatever you want when you’re alone. This can be a blessing if you have a spouse and children! Imagine, you can:

• Eat what you want.
• You control all the remotes.
• You could nap.
• You can literally do anything you can afford to do without having to worry about making someone else happy.
• Make the most of the time you have alone, and you’ll grow to love having a little solitude in your life. You can actually plan and look forward to your time alone and decide how you are going to use it.

2. It’s easier to concentrate.

Have you ever noticed how much more you can get done when everyone is out of your hair? It doesn’t matter if it’s at home or at work. Being alone is a great time to tackle those projects you never seem to have time to do.

3. You learn more about yourself in solitude.

It’s much more difficult to be self-aware if you never spend any time by yourself. Your thought processes become more apparent when you’re not distracted by others.

• Ideally, spend an extended period of time by yourself each year. You could go camping, backpacking by yourself or plan a retreat. You could even just stay at home and let everyone know you’re not available.

 4. You become more compassionate.

When you constantly hang out with the same people, you naturally develop a feeling of “us versus them.” You’ll be more compassionate toward others if you regularly spend some time alone.

5. Creativity increases during periods of solitude.

There’s a reason why artists, musicians, writers, and other creative types go into isolation when it’s time to create. Your mind is much freer to wander and develop new ideas. Most people aren’t nearly as creative as they could be.

6. A little solitude makes you happier.

Several studies have shown that people that regularly have some time to themselves are happier than those that don’t.

7. You can think deep thoughts.

It’s hard to think about your life in a deep and meaningful way when you’re surrounded by others. Your alone time is the perfect opportunity to work on your bigger challenges, make big decisions, and ponder the meaning and purpose of your life.

If you find that you don’t like spending time with yourself, you might want to explore why.  Maybe there are unresolved things in your life that you have tried to avoid facing. Perhaps you have things that you want to change. Time with yourself is the perfect opportunity for personal growth and possible healing in your life.

Schedule periods of solitude into your day. Try to go beyond just using whatever free time you happen to have for solitude, it’s important enough to intentionally plan into your day. Don’t just schedule alone time, plan how you’re going to use that time. Be productive with your periods of solitude.

Having some alone time is a blessing. If you’re feeling frustrated and experiencing cabin fever from Covid seclusion, reassess that time you’ve been given. Or if you aren’t able to spend some time with yourself, even during this time of social distancing, make time. It’s one of the most important things you can do for yourself.

Your creativity will increase. You can tackle big challenges. You can visualize your dreams. You can even just do whatever you feel like doing!

Make the most of the time you have alone. It’s one of life’s great pleasures. Enjoy your solitude. Embrace it and be thankful for it.

“Solitude is the soul’s holiday.”

~Katrina Kenison~

“Never be afraid to spend time in your own company getting to know yourself better. That’s where true happiness is found.”

~Anonymous~

Your Future Pilot to Transformation,

BA Design ~ MA Ed ~ Certified Life Coach ~ Workshop Facilitator