11 Things To Love About Being On Your Own

As a natural loner, I can attest to the fact that there’s nothing quite like being alone. In fact, studies have found that solitude is actually really good for you, and can even help boost concentration and creativity, which, of course, makes sense. Without the world distracting you, it’s easy to focus on everything else and in all that focusing, you get to grow as a person.

Creativity and concentration aside, here are 11 other reasons why it’s so great being alone.

  1. You get to do things on your schedule. One of the best things about being alone is that the only schedule you have to adhere to is yours. You wake up when you want, go where you want, and stay out as late as you want. You are the decider.
  2. You learn how to have fun solo. I always feel a bit sad for people who can’t have fun when they’re in the presence of just their company alone. But the thing is if you learn how to have a good time when you’re alone, how to entertain yourself, you’ll never feel lonely when you’re alone, and that’s a big accomplishment.
  3. You can focus on your hobbies and interests. Maybe your hobby is to collect hot pink rabbits’ feet or you’re interested in reading up on serial killers ― either way, when you’re alone you don’t have people judging your weirdo, er, I mean exciting side interests.
  4. You can figure out your likes and dislikes. Without the input of other people, you can finally figure out what works for you, what doesn’t, what you think is awesome, and what you can do without forever. In other words, you get to really know what you want.
  5. You have time to reflect on your life. Self-reflection is important not just so you can learn from the past, but so you can grow toward the future with those lessons in your back pocket. Nothing provides for ultimate self-reflection like being alone.
  6. It can help with depression. A 1997 study found that when adolescents had ample alone time, their depression decreased. While you may not be an adolescent, it does go to show that solitude isn’t exactly bad for your mental health.
  7. You learn how to rely on yourself. A pessimist will tell you that the only person you can really rely on is yourself, and while that is the talk of a negative killjoy, it’s true. Self-reliance is one of the most important qualities a woman can have.
  8. It creates self-awareness and understanding. When you’re alone with your thoughts, your fears, your concerns for the future, the past, and everything in between, you become intensely aware of yourself and the person you want to be.
  9. You get to be “off.” One of the big problems with being around others is that you always feel like you have to be “on.” When you’re alone, you get to be “off,” and it’s relaxing as hell.
  10. Your space is all your own. Sometimes you just want to stretch the hell out and own every corner of your world, and I mean this both literally and metaphorically. It’s great to be alone, because you don’t have to share your bed, your shower, your closet, or most importantly, your pizza.
  11. You get to work on you. This doesn’t mean you’re broken, but everyone can use a tune-up from time to time and being alone allows exactly that. You’ll make for a better friend, sister, daughter, and girlfriend once you get yourself up to par thanks to all your alone time.
Amanda Chatel is a sexual health, mental health, and wellness journalist with more than a decade of experience. Her work has been featured in Shape, Glamour, SELF, Harper's Bazaar, The Atlantic, Forbes, Elle, Mic, Men's Health and Bustle, where she was a lifestyle writer for seven years. In 2019, The League included Amanda in their "15 Inspirational Feminists Every Single Person Should Follow on Twitter" list.

Amanda has a bachelor's degree in English and master's degree in Creative Writing from the University of New Hampshire. She divides her time between NYC, Paris, and Barcelona.

You can follow her on Instagram @la_chatel or on Twitter @angrychatel.
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