In this blog, we have talked a lot about the value of our community. As well as socialization.
For example, look at these two posts: Social Interactions and Our Health. And We Are NOT Alone.
Now, we consider the benefits of sometimes being alone. Yes, we can be both a socializer and also pursue some alone time.
As Micaela Marini Higgs observes for the NY Times:
“Being lonely hurts. It can even negatively impact your health. But the mere act of being alone doesn’t have to be bad. In fact, experts say it can even benefit your social relationships, improve your creativity and confidence, and help you regulate your emotions so that you can better deal with adverse situations.”
“An online survey called The Rest Test showed that the majority of activities people defined as most restful are things that are done solo.”
“Despite the social stigma and apprehension about spending time alone, it’s something our bodies crave. Similar to how loneliness describes being alone and wanting company, ‘aloneliness’ can be used to describe the natural desire for solitude, Dr. Robert Coplan [a developmental psychologist and professor of psychology at Carleton University] said. Since we’re not used to labeling that feeling, it can easily be confused for, and feed into, other feelings like anxiety, exhaustion, and stress, especially since ‘we might not know that time alone is what we need to make ourselves feel better,’ Dr. Coplan added.”
Click the image to read a lot more from Higgs.
