Be Alone Not Lonely

When you’re alone, do you feel lonely? Or do you use that time to reflect and get to know your Self better? Perhaps you use the occasion to do things you wouldn’t dream of doing in front of other people. No matter how you choose to deal with alone time, there’s no need to feel lonely; being by yourself presents a wonderful opportunity to get in touch with your deeper Self.

Does Being Alone Mean You’re Lonely?

There’s a difference between being alone and being lonely. The first is positive; it’s something we choose. The latter is an emotion that we attach to the fact of being alone. The truth is, you can be lonely even in a crowd of people and you can be alone and enjoy it very much – as long as you are connected and at peace with your Self.

Being by yourself is not negative; in fact it could be considered a luxury if you can think of the time in positive terms.

For singles, the holidays can be a time of dread. But how much of that feeling is brought on by commercials and store displays and how much is really in your heart? Don’t forget that you always have a choice and there’s no reason you couldn’t volunteer your time over the holidays helping others and making yourself feel good at the same time.

Alone Time is a Luxury

What if you considered alone time the luxury it truly is? What if you unplugged for a while and used that opportunity to get in better touch with your Self? How about using a few minutes, an hour, a day, a week in quiet reflection, allowing yourself to really feel and respond to things that have happened without having to worry about what someone else might think?

During alone time, you are given the ability to think through all sorts of things. You have the chance to reexamine situations and consider other responses you might have used. You can dream of the future and how you will change your life to fit into that ideal vision.

Your inner Self is a precious gift that you can choose to share with others. Why not cherish it?

Make a Date - With Your Self

When you schedule a doctor's appointment, you keep it right? When you schedule coffee with your best friend, you work hard to make it a priority too, right? So why not make a date with your Self?

Take the time to reflect. Use the time to simply follow whatever whim you might have. Be open to discovering something about yourself you might not have realized was there. Give your Self permission to NOT live up to anyone's else's expectations for a little while and see how it feels.

Alone time is often quite renewing and rejuvenating. It might also bring you to the realization that your regular life isn’t quite as satisfying as you once thought. If you want nothing more than to return to that period of time when you could do whatever you wanted, use it as an indication of what your heart and soul - your deep Self - really wants to be doing in your everyday life. Chances are this is what agrees most with your core values. And honoring your core values results in happiness and fulfillment – every day.

Make scheduling alone time a priority - be your own best friend at least once a month (and more if you can!). Go ahead and try it and see what you find out about your Self. I’ll just bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you do when no one’s looking!