Most people aren't getting enough alone time and it shows. You would be surprised to learn how drastically a little alone time will improve your life in ALL areas.
In this article, I'm going to share 6 powerful and immediate benefits of spending time alone and also self-care tips for how to make the most of your alone time.
What does alone time mean?
Alone time simply means spending quality time with yourself. Just like our relationships with others thrive when we spend quality time together, you thrive when you spend quality time with yourself.
Unfortunately, society usually places more importance on our relationships with others than it does with ourselves. But the funny thing is that our relationships with others actually suffer when we don't get enough personal alone time.
Do you want to ride in a car that is constantly driven into the ground without ever being taken in for maintenance? This kind of car would be running on fumes, the alignment would be off, the tires would be worn down, things would be overheating, the windshield would be covered in dust and bug guts...you get the idea.
Like the car, you need to be taken in for maintenance if you want to preserve yourself. You can't give much to others when you're running on fumes.
Not only that, but your quality of life itself will soar when you begin spending time alone on a more frequent basis.
Is alone time good for you?
Alone time is not only good for you but it is essential for your wellbeing. Why? Because you cannot run on fumes and live a life of joy, inner peace and abundance.
I’m sure none of us would disagree that spending time alone with ourselves is beneficial, but many argue that they can’t find the time or that they manage fine without it. I think both are false; we can find the time and we need to consider alone time a priority.
Like a car that has begun to swerve out of control while speeding down the road, we too will eventually crash when we’ve ignored our inner selves for too long.
6 powerful benefits of alone time
Below I'm first going to share 6 powerful ways in which spending time alone will improve your quality of life. Afterwards, I'll share tips for planning and enjoying your alone time.
Let's get started with all the ways in which alone time will begin immediately improving your life.
1. It gives you a chance to relax
Our world is so fast-paced and everyone is constantly doing something, that we forget how truly necessary it is to just relax. You mind, body and spirit need it.
When we relax by ourselves in a quiet place, it allows our body and mind to unwind. This is exactly what we need in order to let go of conscious as well as subconscious stress we accumulate throughout the day.
Sometimes when I make time to be alone, all I do is sit quietly. Just the stillness and silence alone is enough to help me de-stress and calm my nerves.
2. You're able to think more clearly
You know how so many people will turn their radios off in the car when they’re lost and it seems to not make any sense because sound shouldn’t affect your ability to think? Well it does.
Noise and the hustle and bustle of every day life makes it hard to just think. Thinking clearly without any distractions is something we need to be able to do every day in order to remain healthy, happy and to address feelings that have been coming up for us.
If you feel confused about something or have been feeling bothered, spending time alone is what will bring you the answers you're looking for. Clarity is found in the reflective nature of stillness, away from the noise and opinions of the world.
3. You discover & connect with your true feelings
We are always in a constant state of becoming; always working to better some aspect of our lives. When we ignore the way we’re really feeling on the inside about stressful situations, we lose touch with the one aspect of ourselves that has the ability to soothe and reassure us–the part of ourselves that is found when our minds are quiet and listening.
When we're alone, we can be honest with ourselves and face our biggest insecurities. Once we do that, there’s nothing left to be afraid of. We work things up in our head all day long, so we need time at the end of the day (or the beginning) to release these worries and remember that everything is going to be okay.
4. You find solutions to your problems
Being able to think clearly as well as getting in touch with our true feelings helps us to find solutions more easily because we know exactly what we need to do to solve something we’re facing.
Often the best gift you can give yourself is time alone–some time to ask your questions and listen quietly for answers. - Katrina Mayer
One of my favorite ways to find solutions to my problems is to journal. I find journaling to be a form of divination because answers will come to you that you never thought of before.
Whether it's your subconscious thoughts or divinely inspired answers, alone time will give you the chance to realize solutions to your problems that you just can't hear when you're lost in the noise of the world.
5. You're able to revise goals & intentions
The intentions you have for your life are everything. They completely dictate your life experience. Without alone time, you might not even have intentions because you're too busy being knocked down by the waves all the time.
With alone time, you have the chance to actually ponder what you want to manifest and bring into your life. Consistent alone time gives you the chance to check in on these desires.
Intentions can change by the week and sometimes by the day. We’re always evolving and refining ourselves and that means our desires too.
You might have a certain intention one month and then view it differently the next month. Or it may need some revising and clarification. Without doing this, it’s very easy to lose sight of your intention completely.
Being alone with yourself gives you the opportunity to check in and revise the direction of your life.
6. It reboots your mindset
If you’ve been stressed, upset, depressed, worried, or just in a negative funk that you can’t seem to shake off, alone time gives you the chance to take some deep breaths and turn yourself around.
Having alone time, depending on when you have it, can alter the day ahead of you if you spend time with yourself in the morning or the following day if you spend your alone time at night. It can make literally all the difference in the world.
This is a beautiful worksheet bundle made specifically for rebooting your mindset that you can use during your alone time. It's designed to give you 7 days of reflective and intentional processes to get you back on track and feeling inspired.
How to enjoy your alone time
When we first begin spending time alone, it can actually be confusing as to what to do or how to spend the time.
Below are my tips for enjoying your time alone and ideas you can do to help make the most of your alone time.
Schedule it
All you need is around 10 minutes a day (more is better but connecting with yourself can still be found with only 10 minutes of alone time if you're really pressed). Anyone can come up with 10 minutes a day.
Are you a morning person or a night owl? Are you most overwhelmed in the mornings or after a long day? These questions can help you decide when it’s the most beneficial time for you personally to schedule alone time.
This is how I'm scheduling my self-care routine this year if you'd like some ideas for inspiration. You can also check out this article on how to get started with self-care.
Turn off distractions
Put your phone on silent, turn off the TV, make sure your kids are occupied or sleeping…just try to set it up to where nothing and no one is going to interrupt you for at least 10 minutes.
I have pretty much turned off all notifications on my phone in general. We don't really need to know every single time someone posts something on social media or sends us a message.
This is part of the reason why so many of us are stressed and feel like we don't have time for self-care. We're bombarded constantly by our phones.
I made it to where important phone numbers are able to go through and alert me when I'm receiving a call or text from them. Otherwise, everything is silenced on my phone!
This might sound drastic, but it has really improved my sense of sanity and well-being! I don't even like seeing those little red boxes with numbers in them over my social media apps because it's stressful.
Do yourself a favor and definitely turn off all distractions when you're spending time with yourself, and if you really want some inner peace, turn them off permanently.
Journal
You don’t have to be a writer in order to journal. Nor do you need to make a formal entry every day.
It does help every so often to write down how you’re feeling, especially if you’re stressed or confused about something. It’s amazing the things you’ll find out about yourself when you let yourself write freely.
There’s an inner you that knows exactly what you want and need. This inner you will be present during journaling. Make a writing prompt at the top of the page such as “how am I feeling right now?” to get yourself started.
Journaling is like whispering to one's self and listening at the same time. - Mina Murray
Write down your goals/intentions
I cannot stress enough how important it is to write down your intentions: how you want to feel and be. There is magic in writing down things you want to manifest. Not only do they give you a sense of direction and purpose, but they make life truly more exciting because things you desire begin manifesting on a consistent basis!
Like I already mentioned, your intentions can change frequently because you are constantly evolving. Therefore, you may find that you need to revise them every so often so that they still excite you. If they don’t, then you know to toss them and write some new ones.
One of my favorite ways to naturally keep in touch with my intentions is by syncing my mindset and self-care routine to the moon.
The new moon is a monthly reminder to set new intentions. Next, the waxing moon is for clarifying them and acting on your intentions. The full moon is for celebrating them and lastly the waning moon is for releasing blocks.
This way I am naturally and easily touching on all aspects of holistic self-care.
Deep breaths, aromatherapy & guided meditations
These things are like a mental spa retreat. Sometimes all I do is sit on the edge of my bed, take deep breaths, and spritz my favorite grounding spray all around me and I feel calmed.
When you take deep breaths, you slow down stressful signals that are being sent to and from your brain. You can take it a step further and lay your forehead on the ground or a table. This stimulates your vagus nerve which reduces the stress hormone cortisol in your body.
Deep breathing may sound cliche but the benefits are powerful and it works. I take deep breaths when I'm in the shower every night to calm my body down.
I also have shared a list of guided meditations that are all 20 minutes or less. These guided meditations will shift your energy dramatically. You'll begin to see actual change in your everyday life just by listening to one on a daily basis.
I hope you found some of these tips useful–do you take time for yourself on a daily basis? If so, let me and the other readers know in the comments below.
For further resources, I have several worksheet bundles which will help you make the most of your alone time. You can pick whichever one best fits your interests & circumstances:
- Moon ritual bundle
- Law of attraction bundle
- Manifesting bootcamp bundle
- Self-care bundle for moms
- Entrepreneur bundle
- Chakra healing bundle
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this article and found something to take away with you.
To receive my weekly, self-care focused email that inspires you to go deeper inside the magic that is you, sign up for the Self-Care Sunday emails.
With love,
Jessica
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TheBlondeLifestyle
I used to hate being alone but I've actually learned to love it, and there's so much you can do when you're alone! Plus you get to worry about your needs! <3 I love taking naps when I'm alone and it helps me get so much work done and brainstorm for the future. Great post!
Jessica Dimas
Yes! Alone time is really such a game changer, especially once you start utilizing the time in a way that affects your mindset and allowing your innermost thoughts and ideas to come to the surface. Thanks for commenting! <3