Thirty One Days Of Happiness Tips Day 28
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| Time alone can boost your happiness Image:Dana Tentis |
Today's
happiness tip is to spend some time alone. At
the moment, with the COVID 19 situation, you will either find this
very easy (even if you don't enjoy
time on your own and wouldn't normally choose it) or very difficult
if you share a house with several other people who are now home all
the time.
Some
people enjoy and actually need
to spend a fair amount of time on their own. These people are often
called introverts and are sometimes divided into four categories -
- social
- thinking
- anxious
- restrained
Others, generally
labelled extroverts, get energised by being with people and they may
avoid being alone if possible. Then there are ambiverts or omniverts
who have some extrovert traits and some of an introvert. I fit in
this category. There, we've got the label thing done.
Researchers suggest
everyone benefits from some alone time. I'm no expert on the
subject, I just know how I feel, but I am aware everyone is
different. Being an ambivert I do have some introvert traits and I
love my alone time.
Time alone is said to
benefit a person because it -
- gives the chance to unwind. If you sit or lie down somewhere away from people, noise, television, radio, internet etc you can rest your brain
- improves your ability to concentrate
- can lead to a boost in productivity afterwards
- provides an opportunity to think more deeply without interruption
- allows you to discover things about yourself
- gives time to work through problems
- increases empathy by giving you time to make up your own mind instead of being overly influenced by the views of the people you spend the most time with
After some alone time it
is often easier to relate to people again because you have had a
break from chatter, questions and demands.
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| Image:Dana Tentis |
Sometimes
people combine alone time with a pleasant activity such as
- eating a snack or a meal
- a walk
- watching a movie others aren't interested in
- reading a book and being able to get engrossed in it
- really listening to music instead of just having it as background noise
- doing a hobby
If you share a house with
others it may be necessary to tell them you want a specific amount of
time alone.
To help get the
solitude you need you could -
- get up early or stay up late when others are in bed
- find a quiet spot hidden away in your backyard
- schedule a set time for 15 minutes solitude each day
- close your door as a sign you need alone time
- lock yourself in the bathroom and take a soak
Don't forget to switch
the volume down on your phone and put it away so it doesn't intrude
on your solitude.
If you are spending a lot
of time alone at the moment and aren't comfortable with it perhaps
you can turn some 'lonely' time into a positive experience. For
example -
- Take time to go through your wardrobe and sort out your clothes. Mend things that have a hem that is coming down or do small repairs and alterations, sew on that missing button. Then wear something that makes you feel good even though no one will see you.
- while you have time, listen to different music and discover some 'new' musicians
- find a new hobby you can do alone with things you have on hand
- expand your mind by reading, watching documentaries or learning a new skill online. You will have something interesting to talk about when you connect digitally or on the phone with family/friends during this time of social distancing.
- put a nice tablecloth on the table, set it with pretty crockery and a candle or two and flowers. Arrange your food attractively on your plate. Listen to your favourite music and cook a nice meal for yourself rather than eating spaghetti out of the tin while you sit in front of telly thinking how lonely you are.
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| Food served attractively will be more enjoyable Image:RitaE from Pixabay |
For more information
about spending time alone check out -
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