The Importance of Alone Time

<a sliver of alone time & a very important salad pizza this weekend>

 

By nature, I’m a planner. If I know I have a very scheduled week, I will purposely leave a time slot (or day if I’m lucky) open over the weekend to decompress. Whether it’s time to sit on the couch, without my phone, and watch a stand up on Netflix I’ve been dying to see or just time for a solo run to Trader Joe’s, that time just for me is very important. It’s how I recharge my batteries & a huge part of my self care.

When I first moved into my first solo apartment the summer after I graduated college, I hated it. And I mean hated it… at first. I had lived on my sorority’s floor with all my best girlfriends so moving into my own place seemed exciting (#adulting?) but also deafeningly silent… at first. I just graduated (a notoriously weird time for everyone), got broken up with (shitty for anyone) & would call my parents crying more than I’d like to admit. Sometimes the greatest gifts, like that solo apartment, at first glance can seem terrifying. Those first few weeks were hard but I can say now that living alone is probably one the best things I’ve done. That once deafening silence became the calm & relaxing break I needed from grad school. I realized I didn’t feel lonely because, in reality, I needed that time to recharge and best of all, my productivity & creativity skyrocketed. You learn so much about yourself in the moments you’re truly alone with your own thoughts. Not to mention, my love for cooking really blossomed too!

Now that Dave & I live together, I make to schedule some alone time for myself. Part of me is very much introverted so if I don’t recharge, I feel very fatigued. If you have a roommate or live with your partner, here are a few ways to add a few moments of alone time into your daily routine.

• Get up or Get in Early. I head to the gym around 5:30 every morning, so once I finish my workout, I have some time to get ready for work, make breakfast before Dave gets up. This strategy also works if you can get to work before everyone else arrives and the phones begin to ring.
• Disconnect from technology! You’ll be amazed what a few tech free minutes can do.
• Close Your Door. If you have a roommate, just be honest and let them know you need a little time to yourself. I used to worry people would think I was upset or being rude but turns out most people DO need time for themselves & totally understand.
• If you’re strapped for time, use your lunchtime.
• Schedule solitude. If you’re a planner like me, block off 2 or 3 hours on a Saturday just for you.

Alone time is so integral to anyone who is any parts introverted, but I can’t express how important it is for us all! We need time for ourselves to be alone with our own thoughts, which in this day & age, those moments are far & few between.

For more thoughts on the importance of alone time, check out these articles:

1 // 2 // 3 // 4

Cheers!