Mental Health: The Value of Time Spent Alone

Whether this personally applies to you or not, a lot of people don't really like spending time alone.

In many cases, they don't just not like spending time alone, but they're actually enormously uncomfortable if they have to spend time alone... to the point where they might reach for their phone to call a friend within minutes of being aware that they are by themselves.

Chances are you've actually met some of these people. For example, they're often the ones you encounter at the doctor's office that insist on striking up a conversation with you even though nobody else there is talking. Silence makes them uncomfortable, almost as much as being alone.

There are all sorts of reasons for this, of course. In some cases, people are simply extremely social and they feel like something is wrong if they're not interacting with others around them.

But those aren't the people I'm having in mind here. I'm talking about the people who will go to great lengths to avoid having to be anywhere alone, because the idea of being alone with their own thoughts is terrifying.

One of the things about having to be alone - or being alone by choice - is that you are alone with your own thoughts. And if you're having a lot of thoughts that you don't feel particularly good about, chances are you will choose to spend time with other people so you can focus your attention outward, rather than on your own experience.

When there is silence, and nobody else around to talk to, it's very difficult to ignore the thoughts inside your head.

If you are among the people who have a strong dislike of being alone, what are the thoughts that are going through your head when you're confronted with even the possibility that you might have to spend time alone?

Is there something about the situation that makes you feel afraid? Do you feel like something is missing from your life if you have to spend time by yourself? Are you afraid someone will judge you?

When people go to great lengths to avoid spending time alone, there's usually a deeper trauma at play. And here's the thing: most of us actually benefit from spending time alone and thinking our thoughts without having a lot of input from other people and other influences.

So if you avoid being alone, ask yourself what happened in the past that made it so? Unless you actually sit and think your thoughts about potential past events, it will be very difficult to move past the discomfort.

Many things that trouble us psychologically, can be made easier by simply engaging a little bit of reflection. Once we understand the roots of some of our situations we can make a more informed decision going forward!

Thanks for coming to visit, and Bright Blessings to all!

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You are not alone! (Graphic is our own)

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