Does everyone need alone time?
Big family meals, office holiday parties, and festive happy hours. There’s this misconception that only introverts need alone time and extroverts can just keep going and going.
Well guess, what? We all need time that’s just for us.
As we move into the holiday season it might seem counter-intuitive to think about alone time. But with all the awesome, sparkly craziness that comes with the end of the year, it could be just what you need.
I love meeting new people, joking around with strangers, and connecting with people I care about. But as social as I am and as social as our students become, alone time is still vital.
My close friends can attest to me freaking out and needing alone time after social binges.
Imagine you’re lost in an underwater cave and then discover an air pocket.
That’s how Me Time feels to me.
Precious.
Most of my best ideas, music, and thoughts have come – when I was alone. I think a lot. Maybe too much, but I’ll have to think about that.
Chilling out on my own, I’ve come up with unique ways to solve business challenges or handle relationship issues. These moments of insight come when we quiet our surroundings and our minds.
Blaise Pascal, the seventeenth century French philosopher, said, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”
So apparently we had a hard time just being on our own way before we had smart phones and the endless internet to distract the hell out of us.
Choosing to spend time alone is different from loneliness.
Alone time can be really fun and you get to do exactly what you want. When I make time for myself, I love reading, playing the guitar, exploring, having adventures, and meditating (to quiet that monkey mind). I just booked a getaway for three days in beautiful Kenwood, up in Sonoma County. I’m bringing a laptop, two books and my guitar.
I hope to get some good work done and plenty of relaxing, while throwing FOMO in the wind.
Will I miss out on parties with Jaunty alumni, brunches, and cool events in the city that weekend? Sure. But I’ll be breathing in that sweet air of Eric Time and I know I’ll come home feeling recharged and ready for more.
This Thanksgiving weekend, in-between time with family and friends, remember to take care of yourself and make time for you too.
