Being alone can be a scary task. Obviously, there are times in all of our lives when we have to do things alone, but the majority of things, we like to do with others. Being alone can be scary for a lot of reasons.
Maybe you’re scared the people around you are going to think you’re weird for being alone. Or perhaps the thought of just being alone in itself is too much for your brain to handle. Either way- it’s something we all struggle with. But sometimes, I find myself thinking: why is being alone looked down upon so much in society?
Not many people can say with confidence that they’re 100% happy being alone. Most people will skip out on going out to eat if it means they have to go by themselves. And traveling somewhere alone? That’s out of the question. But why is being alone so scary?
There’s a lot of reasons why we tend to surround ourselves with others. So much so that when you are alone, you don’t know what to do with yourself. The less time you spend by yourself, the more it’s going to hit when you actually have to spend that one on one time. And at first, spending time alone might be terrifying, but the more you do it, the more you’ll realize how great it actually is.
Want to go to that vegan restaurant you’ve been dying to go to or go to that workout class none of your friends would come with you to? The choice is entirely up to you. When you’re alone, you don’t have to consider anyone else’s needs. When you’re alone, the only one who can tell you want you can do or see or eat is you. And when you realize that with loneliness comes a tremendous amount of freedom, you’ll start to wonder why you were so afraid of being alone in the first place.
Learning to love being alone is a difficult task, and it’s something you’ll never stop working on. But with that, I challenge you to take some time out in each day to spend by yourself. Maybe that’s going out to your favorite cafe for breakfast and sitting by yourself. Perhaps that’s going to the beach alone and laying out in the sun.
Or maybe that’s just going for a walk while listening to your favorite podcast. Whatever it is, you’ll learn to appreciate the time you have to yourself so much that you’ll start to crave it. Learning to be okay with being alone is necessary for us all because, at the end of the day, you need to have your own back.
