Being alone is boring and lonely. Or is it? There are definitely some of us that simply don’t like to be alone. Period. We need to be around people all the time. With the emergence of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. we now can enjoy the company of others 24 hours a day 7 days a week, in the comforts of our own home. A party all day every day. The thought of logging off can cause some of us a great deal of anxiety.
Shutting down has its benefits too though. We get so wrapped up in tweeting, updating and hanging out with our friends that we tend to forget who we are. So, who are you, really? Can you enjoy your own company? The answer might surprise you. Here are 9 reasons why you should try hanging out with yourself for a change.

9 Reasons We Should Learn To Enjoy Our Own Company

1.Your creative side.

When you are alone, you will have the time to nurture and grow your creative side. Maybe you like to do oil painting, read, play piano, write but haven’t had the chance, or time, to do so because you’re never alone. Take time to delve into the artistic side of you. It just may turn out that you are better at it than you think.

2.Quiet your mind.

In this hustle and bustle world, it is easy to pick up the nervous energy and stress from others around us. When you take time to be by yourself, you will have the chance to do a brain dump. Get rid of the toxins from the day and just be with you and your thoughts. A freeing of the mind so to speak.

3.Shopping alone is fun, really.

I get that it’s fun to go shopping with your friends and hang out but when was the last time you tried shopping alone and enjoying you? For Christmas I always ask for Waterstones vouchers from my family, so once a year, usually in January, I set aside one full day to spend in Waterstones bookshop and get to spend £150, without feeling guilty, on books.  You can take your time, you’ll have no distractions and you just might like shopping alone.

4.Have a dinner date night.

This isn’t easy for everybody to do, going out to dinner alone, but try it. While you’re out, take the time to look around and observe others. By doing so, you can learn a lot about the behaviours of others and yourself. Do you see yourself in any of these people? Do you want to?

5.Road trip anyone?

When was the last time you took a road trip by yourself? Windows rolled down, music blaring, singing to the steering wheel, GPS in off mode. It’s extremely liberating. You can make little pit stops along the way and feed your adventurous side. You may even make new friends along the way.

6.Respect, admiration, adoration.

Is it just me or do people who can enjoy their own company gain more respect from others? An admiration, if you will. We are in awe of them because they are truly happy in their own skin, and being with their own company is something they clearly enjoy. Something that so many of us strive for. They exude self-confidence and self-respect. Who wouldn’t want more of that?

7.Say aaah please.

Aaaaah as in relaxing. Turn off the phones, turn off the computer, TV and put some relaxing music on and just chill out.  Take this time to meditate, journal or read a book. This is your time with you. Embrace you and enjoy it.

8.Face fears head on.

This may seem rather odd, but yes, you can face your fears better when you are alone and learn to appreciate and enjoy you because of it. Many of us need a friend or partner to help us face any sort of fear, but when we are forced to do it alone, we realize how brave and courageous we really are. Just knowing that you were able to do this by yourself is good enough reason to start trusting yourself more.

9.I kinda like this person called me.

Yes, I’m not so bad after all. As a matter of fact, I’m really kind of fantastic. Take time to get to know who you are. We never give ourselves enough time in a day to have a relationship with ourselves and because of that, many of us don’t even know who we are. Our personalities are often overshadowed by the people we spend the most amount of time with, be it co workers, your spouse, your friends, whoever. But who are you really. Spend some time with yourself and you’ll find out soon enough. I’m gonna bet, you just might like you.
If life and work demands get in the way of your alone time, try scheduling it on the calendar like you would a doctor’s appointment and stick to it. You are as equally important as your loved ones. Love yourself first.