The Power of Being Alone

Some people hate being alone, they are always looking for the company of someone, or something. Others, on the other hand, love to be alone and work best when they have time to reflect in peace. They like the crowd, but perhaps their best company is themselves.

Being alone often has a bad reputation, it is seen as something derogatory, is often related to some mental illness. However, some research has increasingly shown real benefits to being alone. That's because doing things yourself allows you to enjoy the activities you love at your own pace and in your own way. Through this habit, you learn more about yourself and better reflect on your experiences.

Solitude VS Loneliness

Before going any further, I want to make it clear that being alone (solitude) is totally different from feeling alone (loneliness). While in loneliness, the individual does not see himself emotionally attached to anyone, which gives a feeling of helplessness and even lovelessness, in solitude, the individual intentionally isolates himself, creating an environment or moment of reflection and interiorization.

Even though people sometimes fear reclusion, some research shows that many others actually seek and prefer to be alone. This desire is heavily influenced by your general personality.

Being alone will have a positive or negative effect on your well-being, depending on why you feel that way.

Here are some characteristics that connote the habit of being alone in solitude:

• is voluntary
• You maintain positive relationships
• You can return to social groups whenever you wish
• You feel good about spending time alone

Choosing to be alone can be rejuvenating, as long as you enjoy it, but it can also be harmful if it feels like a punishment or if you feel excluded from social connections.

The benefits of being alone

As I said before, being alone can be a good and healthy thing, being a great opportunity to be a better person.

Increase your creativity

Being alone helps free up attention space in your brain, and as a result, your mind wanders, allowing you to be with your own thoughts and discover your own voice.

“Be alone - that is the secret of invention: be alone, that is when ideas are born.” - Nikola Tesla

Solitude allows you to delve into ideas, think outside the box and find things within yourself and your imagination in a way that is not possible with others.

Improve your concentration and memory

Working with other people can unwittingly make you put less effort into memorizing information because you simply assume that others in the group will fill in the blanks - this phenomenon is called social loitering.

Working on things alone will help you focus your attention, which eventually improves your retention and recall.

Increases your productivity

While group work is praised for improving collaboration and innovation, it can also be a distraction.

When you have a clearly defined task that requires focused attention, being alone is the best way to achieve your goals. It's certainly easier to do your job when you don't have a phone call or a meeting always vying for your attention.

Makes you focus on yourself

When we are surrounded by other people, we end up constantly putting aside our own needs and priorities to satisfy the desires and needs of others. Taking time for yourself gives you a critical opportunity to focus on your interests, make creative choices and focus on your ideas without worrying about what others are thinking.

Improve your relationships

Relationships, whether friendly or loving, become stronger and healthier when you don't depend on the other to feel happy or complete.

Being alone makes us love ourselves and know how to enjoy our own company, it makes us so confident of ourselves that we don't have to submit to situations where we have to beg someone to be on our side. We just let it go.

A little time for yourself can be good for your overall well-being, whether you're an introvert who spends the day alone, or an extrovert who loves hanging out with friends and socializing. The important thing about being alone is to remember that this time is for focusing on you, cultivating passions, finding inspiration, working focused, or even doing nothing at all.