In the modern age, being alone is actually very difficult. If we aren’t spending time with our friends and family, we are connected to our phones chatting to them. Even when we aren’t directly communicating with people, are involving ourselves in their lives by searching through social media pages and blog posts. This is pretty exhausting. This is why studies have now shown that it is important to have some alone time, that is purely focused on yourself. That means no phones, no communication, just time with yourself. We have collected some of the ways that prove that alone time is important in our busy lives and helps to keep us happy and healthy.
Feel rested
Spending some time on your own can be a good way of recharging your batteries, and therefore, feeling rested. What we don’t realize is that spending all day around people, or at least on our phones, is tiring. It takes a lot of emotional effort to hold conversations for long periods of time. So, try switching your phone off and sitting in the garden for some time alone, you’ll probably feel recharged in no time.
It reduces stress
When you are entirely alone, and spending time with yourself, it can help your brain to relax. When you have more time to yourself, the part of your brain that causes heightened awareness shuts off. By doing this, we are helping to reduce the stress levels we have, as we are no longer overthinking. Studies show that just 15 minutes away from contact, including digitally, allows for emotions to be controlled better, and overall reduces how much stress and pressure people feel.
Battles depression
With depression and anxiety levels on the rise, it is no surprise that people are wanting to come up with new ways of tackling them. Although this may seem ridiculous, being alone has actually proven to combat depression – weird, right? Research has shown that those of us who spend time alone, are less likely to be assessed, or diagnosed with, depression.
Mental strength
Nervousness is common when people are expected to spend long amounts of time in their own company. People have suggested that they would rather do anything else than spend time just thinking, and alone. However, studies have shown that by confronting your thoughts and spending alone time with them, actually pushes you to deal with them head-on. By doing this, we are strengthening our minds and improve our mental wellbeing.
Happiness
For most of us, spending time with our loved ones and socializing is what makes us happier than anything would could imagine. But, that isn’t strictly speaking true. By setting aside alone time, we are able to come to terms with the world around us. Studies have shown that those of us who spend all of their time with other people, or on their phones, actually experience more unhappiness in their lives.
Although there are plenty more we could list, we think that is enough, for now, to prove that alone time really is good for you. Not only is it important for us to recharge, and spend some time evaluating our lives, it has also been proven to improve our social circles and family lives. The best part about it all is when you’re alone you can do literally whatever you want. You can seize the day, try something new, or just sit quietly with your book – it is entirely up to you. We hope that you will be setting aside some alone time in the future to help balance your life a little better.
