Given The Pros And Cons, Should You Take Alone Time?

“Solitude can be positive when relaxation is in control of you, but harmful when you let your stress become in charge of you.” -Michael J. Fite

Keep this in mind when it comes to you having time to yourself.

At some point in your day, you are going to have some time where you are by yourself. In that moment, it will be simply you and time on your hands. Whatever you choose to do with that alone time is totally up to you.

In life, you are going need such times to get away, think, and relax. There is no guarantee as to when or how they come, but when they do come, you must decide whether or not to take them accordingly.

Today’s inspiration will focus on your alone time. In helping you decide on how to take your alone time, I will share with you the following:

1. What are the pros to spending time alone?
2. What are the cons to spending time alone?
3. Given the pros and cons, should you take alone time?

In answering these three questions, you will have what you need to decide not only if alone time is good for you, but also what you can do to make the most out of your time should you take it. Now that we have the questions, let’s find the answers!

What are the pros to spending time alone?

Spending time alone can be a beneficial experience for your overall health. Dr. Sherrie Bourg Carter with Psychology Today shares with us six benefits to spending time alone in her article 6 Reasons You Should Spend More Time Alone. I will list and give my take below on each one:

1. Solitude allows for you to reboot your brain and rewind.
   • Having time alone gives you the chance let go of certain things that may be weighing on your mind and gives you the opportunity to relax without a lot of distractions.
2. Solitude helps to improve concentration and increase productivity.
   • When you do not have distractions around you, you can focus clearly on doing what you need to do in a quicker and more efficient manner.
3. Solitude gives you an opportunity to discover yourself and find your voice.
   • Your alone time gives you the time needed to find who you are while finding a mind and direction that clearly reflects you.
4. Solitude provides time for you to think deeply.
   • Alone time gives you moments where you can think more in depth about a particular person or thing so that you gain better clarity.
5. Solitude helps you work though problems more effectively.
   • By having your alone time, you can focus strictly on the problems and find the solutions to be easier to find without having outside influences and distractions.
6. Solitude can enhance the quality of your relationships with others.
   • You can use your alone time to better understand yourself and the people whom you share various relationships with.

Your time alone can prove to be valuable regardless of the time that is allotted for it.

What are the cons to spending time alone?

Along time does also come with some things that prove to be harmful to your health as well. Janice Holly Booth shares with us five important cons to having time alone in her article Why Too Much Solitude Can Be Bad For You. I will list and give my take on each one below:

1. Spending too much time alone increases the risk for suicide for young and old alike.
   • If you are left alone with negative thoughts about certain experiences, the risk of you committing suicide can rise unless you seek out for treatment or help.
2. Lonely individuals report higher levels of perceived stress even when they are exposed to the same stressors as non-lonely people, and even when they are relaxing.
   • This is possible whenever you do not have someone that can help you work through the stresses that may be too much for you to handle.
3. The social interactions of lonely people are not as positive as those of other people, hence their relationships do not buffer them from stress as relationships normally do.
   • Being a loner does create for social friction in most relationships to where people are not able to help the loner cope with certain stressors in the appropriate manner.
4. Loneliness raises levels of stress hormone and blood pressures.
   • If you are left alone with your stressors without an appropriate way to deal with them, it can cause high blood pressure, hyperventilation, headaches, and migraines to name a few issues.
5. Loneliness destroys the quality and efficiency of sleep, so the sleep is less restorative, both physically and psychologically.
   • In your alone time, if you have a lot of your mind prior to sleeping, it can be enough to affect your sleep pattern and not get the necessary rest you need to function normally.

As you can see, alone time does come with its own set of issues that make you wonder if it is truly worth it to you.

Given the pros and cons, should you take alone time?

The answer to this question will vary and depend upon each moment respectively. There will be times where it will be good for you to take alone time because it can help you clear your mind and relax. There will be times where instead of being left alone with your negative thoughts and feelings, it would be more beneficial for you to find people that can help you deal with such moments. When faced with alone time, make sure of the following:

1. When the along time is there and if you need it, take it.
2. Use your alone time to benefit your overall health and situation when you have the opportunity to do so.
3. If you have any issues that you feel you cannot handle alone, do not be afraid to have someone there to help you out.

If you remember these three facts, you will be able to make your decision as to whether or not you should take alone time for yourself.

Let’s remember that alone time is going to be there for you, but it is up to you to decide whether or not you need to take and if it can be what you need.

In the questions section, I have a few questions for you that I would love for you to give some thought. Feel free to answer and comment below:

1. What do you personally think about alone time?
2. Can you recall a moment where your alone time prove beneficial to your life?
3. Can you recall a moment where your alone time brought about some negative thoughts and feelings?
4. What would you recommend to someone who is faced with having some alone time?

Your answers and comments can help yourself or someone else understand about alone time and determine whether or not they should take it for themselves when the time comes.