Why is there such a negative stigma attached to "alone time". We are all guilty of this, when someone says "I need some alone time or I want to be alone for a bit", the first thing we all think is what's wrong. Does something have to be wrong?. Wanting to spend time alone is not something that should be frowned upon or seen in such a negative light. If anything I strongly believe it should be celebrated. The word "Alone" is associated with lonely, No one wants to be lonely but if you look closely at the meaning of the words, you will find the semantics are rather different, you can truly start to understand alone need not be so daunting and begin to dwell in some much needed you time. For me alone time is a rare necessity. Life has a way of passing us by and before we know it, we are left asking where did the time go? and the truth is time was always there, we just paid very little attention to it. I can not speak for anyone else but London isn't the most peaceful city to live in. It might not be the city that never sleeps but it definitely doesn't slow down for anyone. The most important journey in life is the one in which we find ourselves and how can you ever really find yourself in such a busy world, without stepping out of it every once in a while?.
Alone time for many people, means many different things. To some its the odd 15 minutes every morning to reflect on life, or 15 minutes just before bedtime after a long dulling day. For others its during a workout releasing tension as well as being alone with ones thought and for many its going on quiet walks. Absolutely nothing wrong with all mentioned, especially as so many of us live such busy lifestyle, is there ever really time?. While many are satisfied with the cheeky 15 minutes here and there, I don't believe it is ever really enough. I mean why survive on the bare minimum? like everything the bare minimum can only do so much. 24 hours in a day and you only allow yourself a measly 15 minutes, sounds like you're cheating yourself. Unfair. I always look at any situation from a different perspective. Lets look at it this way, an entrepreneur would not work hard for so many years to build a successful business just to pay himself minimum wage. You are the entrepreneur of your own life, invest in yourself. Time is so precious and you will never regret spending time on yourself. Take a day out, half a day even, be confident that you can enjoy your own company for more than 15 minutes at a time. Make time to dig deeper and learn to come out of your comfort zone, find the deeper layer to you, you might surprise yourself and actually learn something. Reflect, set life goals, look how far you've come in the past years, plan for the future and take a breather.
Time for some story telling. I can not sit here and write a post about alone time if I had not given it a go and reaped the benefits. I was one of those folks surviving on the bare minimum. Just before bed or while on a busy train, I would think about life and think where I really wanted to be without really making a effort to take some serious needed time out and reflect on the bigger picture. So I decided to do just that. Randomly I decided I needed to get away, it did not have to be anywhere fancy, I just needed to get away and breatheeeeee. There is always something happening in my life or around me and quality time has always had to take a back seat so this mini get away was definitely overdue. Booked a weekend in south-end last minute ( literally the day before, its rare i get a whole weekend with no plans so i was not going to let that slide ) every one thought I was off my rockers but I knew I needed this. I stayed in a cute little hotel near the sea side, took my laptop and a note book and turned my phone off. Yes, I was completely alone with my thought. It was amazing, I am not exaggerating, I sat in the hotel room me, the four walls and my thoughts and I set goals, set life goals. I went for long walks by the seaside and I even went to see a musical BY MYSELF!!!! something I never saw myself doing but I loved it and it did not feel weird in the slightest. I have always enjoyed my own company but did not know how much till my weekender. I came home full of life, full of energy, restored and ready to tackle the future and its uncertainties. I am not saying it was a magic weekender and it fixed all my problems but the impact it had on me was greater than anything. It really is the simplest things that have the biggest impacts. I've been more focused,more determined and more motivated. Hope my little story can motivate you to take small steps to a better you.
Wrapping up my post, I wanted to share some quotes I love, which is related to the post. Enjoy X
- You cannot be lonely, if you like the person you are alone with
- If you're alone when you are alone, you're in bad company
- Don't go through life, grow through life
- All men misfortune spring from their hatred of being alone
- I paint self portraits because I am so often alone, because i am the person i know best
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