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. 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 an answer.
When you start to spend more time alone, you’ll learn to
trust your instincts and make decisions without any third party validation.
Source: Life Hack Via: Themindawakened.com