The idea of spending time alone, whether at home or somewhere further afield, can be a tempting one. There is something rather wonderful about the thought of not having to take care of anyone for a while, and not having to worry about household chores and responsibilities for a little bit – even if it is only for 10 minutes.
Yet although many of us might crave some alone time, when it comes to it, we often shy away, worried that we might miss out on something, or that someone might need us.
The truth is, having some alone time once in a while is incredibly important, and will always benefit anyone greatly. Here are some of the reasons why this is.
Whether you’re spending 10 minutes in the bathtub or bedroom on your own or you’ve booked JFK airport parking and a plane tickets to a far off destination for a solitary vacation, your alone time will help you to relax.
There is always so much going on in life that truly being able to relax is something that many of us find very difficult indeed. Yet not relaxing and not taking the time to re-set our minds and bodies can lead to physical and mental health issues, and that means problems at work and at home. Taking time to relax will help to make this easier, and you can have a new and better perspective on life.
Studies have shown that, when you are on your own, you are much more likely to be productive. Open spaces in offices might be all the rage, but they can mean that less work is done because everyone is distracted, even if it is just a little bit, due to all the noise and other people around them.
Also, taking time out away from work, even if it’s just for a walk around the block at lunchtime, will make your mind clearer and problems that you were finding difficult to solve may become easier. Sometimes you can be too close to a problem to see the solution, so stepping away and taking some time for yourself can make things better.
Being alone will also give you the chance to be much more creative. Your brain will be more in tune with your own thoughts and feelings, allowing you to express yourself in the way you want to. Your flow of thoughts will be uninterrupted by other people and other things, and you can get your ideas down more smoothly and quickly.
It’s a good idea to have a pen and notepad with you when you are having some alone time, as creative ideas might come to you out of nowhere and you will want to write them down. Don’t have your cellphone with you, as this can be distracting and can take you out of your creative, productive mood.
Creativity is different for everyone; some might be more artistic than others, but creativity simply means the ability to come up with new ideas, and this can be useful no matter what field of work you happen to be in.