The Importance of Being Alone

When I was younger the thought of being alone terrified me. Things like taking care of myself, running errands, paying for my own things, travelling or sitting somewhere alone were all scary to me. As I grew older and more independent, some of my happiest and most peaceful moments come from when I am by myself. I was able to look towards my future and discover who I am, my passions and grow as a person. 

Throughout high school and middle school, I was rarely on my own or doing things alone, but during my gap year post-high school, I was finally forced to be independent. My siblings were in school, my parents had work, and a lot of my friends moved away for university. It was scary to think about what a whole year solo would bring me, but it turned out to benefit me in ways I didn’t think possible. Working full time and having time for fun activities and hobbies for myself made the year fly by. Getting my driver’s license gave me a lot of freedom and the ability to go places alone. Being able to drive and get coffee or to go shopping helped my transportation situation. The license also just made me feel more independent overall. My favourite things to do alone are shop, walk, read, take pictures, go to a movie and eat out. Some of these took a longer process than others, but all were very achievable. Setting goals for myself helped and stepping outside of my comfort zone played a large role in achieving them. 

Being comfortable alone has made a huge improvement in my mental health, lowering stress levels and improving my time management skills. Only relying on myself has made me more confident, peaceful and creative. Discovering myself, my dreams/aspirations, and hobbies that I genuinely enjoy doing has opened up a whole new chapter of my life. I discovered that I deeply enjoy writing, running, and hiking. I found out what I would love to do in the future through weighing my options, research and letting my heart and mind take time to think and process everything. The thought of my future always scared me to a point where I did everything to avoid thinking about it, but sitting down with myself and having time to myself helped me to discover where I want to be. Running errands, shopping and doing school work alone has made me more productive and my time management skills have never been better. 

Relying and depending on yourself for happiness and peace changes a lot. Becoming confident in your decisions and lifestyle choices, more independence, and working towards your goals are all things that can happen when you stop relying on others for everything. Only you are going to be with you forever and it’s better to get comfortable now rather than later. The ability to make decisions by yourself and FOR yourself with nobody else’s input will lead you towards where you truly want to be in life. All of these play a deep role in helping you discover your true self and what you want to accomplish.