Why is alone time important

Sitting alone with your thoughts can be a daunting experience. We all have fears, anxieties, worries, hopes, dreams, and a plethora of other emotions. These emotions can be overwhelming at times. However, being alone can help build mental toughness. It forces you to face these emotions. Especially during the ongoing pandemic, you may be left with your thoughts more often than before.

As these emotions arise and you deal with them, you build mental fortitude, which prepares you to face them in the future. Even if you understand these benefits, it can be hard to carve out some alone time in your busy schedule.

However, there are many things you can do to help you find time and engage in your alone time. There is no right amount of alone time. Everyone is different and requires different things. Introverts often need more alone time than extroverts.

However, if you continue to struggle with your mental health, consider giving Lifeworks Counseling Center a call today. Our team is here to help you get back on track.

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Please select an area of concern you would like assistance with. Being aware of world events is totally okay, but becoming addicted to the news is a sure-fire way to sink your mood. Going forward, you can prioritise these important connections. A furry little friend increases your happiness levels to a great extent. Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional for any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition.

Home Lifestyle Health Why spending time alone is important for mental health Why spending time alone is important for mental health There is a difference between 'loneliness' and 'being alone'.

Being alone helps you become more comfortable in your own skin. And that will help you develop more insight into who you are as a person.

In fact, I crave it. I often dream about being alone on a deserted island. Set aside a few minutes each day to be alone with your thoughts — just 10 minutes a day can help. Silence your electronics and allow yourself to think for a few minutes. But creating that quiet time for yourself could be key to becoming the best version of yourself.

This is a BETA experience. Blurred work-life boundaries and a lack of time apart meant that many people were suddenly struggling with a complete lack of alone time. Finding time to be alone can have a number of key benefits.

Some of these include:. Becoming comfortable in your own company can give you the time and freedom to truly explore your own passions without interference. It can be a way to try new things, research topics that fascinate you, acquire knowledge, and even practice new methods of self-expression.

Giving yourself alone time means you can explore these things without the pressures and judgments that others may impose. Having time to yourself is critical for growth and personal development.

Instead of worrying about the needs, interests, and opinions that others may have, alone time lets you focus on yourself. Alone time is an opportunity to let your mind wander and strengthen your creativity. Without the need to care for or interact with other people, you can ignore outside influences and focus inward.

Research actually suggests that being alone can lead to changes in the brain that help fuel the creative process.

One study found that people who tend to purposely withdraw in order to spend time alone also tend to be highly creative people. In a study published in the journal Nature Communications , researchers found that perceived social isolation aka loneliness led to increased activity in the neural circuits related to imagination. When left with a lack of social stimulation, the brain ramps up its creative networks to help fill the void.

Living alone tends to be seen in a negative light. However, researchers have found that people who live alone may actually have richer social lives and more social energy than people who cohabitate with others. Klineberg found that not only were these adults not lonely, many actually had richer social lives. Alone time can be challenging for some people for a variety of reasons. One study found that many people would prefer to give themselves painful electric shocks rather than just sit alone with their own thoughts.

Some of these reasons people might struggle with being alone include:. Marketing professor and researcher Rebecca Ratner of the University of Maryland found that people often avoid doing things they enjoy if they have to do them alone.

This is particularly true if it is an activity that can be observed by others, such as going to dinner or a movie solo.

Such findings suggest that stigma about being alone influences whether people think they enjoy such activities. It is also important to note that aspects of your personality, as well as your individual preferences, can play a role in determining how much alone time you need and how beneficial it may be.

Extroverts tend to feel energized by social experiences, so solitude might be more challenging for them. Introverts , on the other hand, gain energy from being alone. However, don't think that just because you are an extrovert that you won't enjoy spending time by yourself.

In one study, social psychologist Thuy-vy Thi Nguyen found that introverts and extroverts didn't actually differ in the amount of enjoyment they gained from solitude. Contrary to popular belief, introverts didn't enjoy solitude any more than extroverts. No matter what your personality type, there may be times you can benefit from some quality time to yourself.

Even before the pandemic, experts warned of a loneliness epidemic that threatened the wellness of people of all ages. Research suggests that people experience more loneliness now than they have in the past. There is an abundance of evidence showing that loneliness can have devastating health consequences.