The advantage of alone time


I've had a bit of an exhausting past week to say the least.
And it's left me feeling utterly drained, by everything and everyone.
Feeling the need to disconnect for a bit, it got me thinking, the way our society is built these days...
it doesn't feel super easy to do that. We're almost made to feel guilty for wanting to do so.


I'm sure you guys can relate to this struggle on some level!

In true coincidental yet meaningful fashion, the universe allowed me to stumble upon an old article published about 'The Power of Lonely'.

We as humans are social animals, we need human interaction and know that isolation can be harmful for us. But, there is another side...



So, all I really want to do is highlight a few parts of the article that I feel like us as a generation need to read and be reminded of  ☺️ 

Have a read!

"An emerging body of research is suggesting that spending time alone, if done right, can be good for us — that certain tasks and thought processes are best carried out without anyone else around, and that even the most socially motivated among us should regularly be taking time to ourselves if we want to have fully developed personalities, and be capable of focus and creative thinking. There is even research to suggest that blocking off enough alone time is an important component of a well-functioning social life — that if we want to get the most out of the time we spend with people, we should make sure we’re spending enough of it away from them. Just as regular exercise and healthy eating make our minds and bodies work better, solitude experts say, so can being alone."

“There is something very liberating for people about being on their own. They’re able to establish some control over the way they spend their time. They’re able to decompress at the end of a busy day in a city...and experience a feeling of freedom.”

"In an age when no one is ever more than a text message or an e-mail away from other people, the distinction between “alone” and “together” has become hopelessly blurry, even as the potential benefits of true solitude are starting to become clearer."

"[There is] benefit from time spent apart from others, in part because it allows for a kind of introspection — and freedom from self-consciousness — that strengthens their sense of identity."

"Too much solitude is unequivocally harmful and broadly debilitating, decades of research show. But one person’s “too much” might be someone else’s “just enough,” and eyeballing the difference with any precision is next to impossible."

(^Read: Do what is best for you! How you want to do it, when you want to do, it's what you want.)

"Insofar as there is a consensus among solitude researchers, it’s that in order to get anything positive out of spending time alone, solitude should be a choice: People must feel like they’ve actively decided to take time apart from people, rather than being forced into it against their will."

"Sherry Turkle, director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, argues in her new book, “Alone, Together,” that people should be mindfully setting aside chunks of every day when they are not engaged in so-called social snacking activities like texting, g-chatting, and talking on the phone. 

“People make this error, thinking that being alone means being lonely, and not being alone means being with other people,” Cacioppo said. 
You need to be able to recharge on your own sometimes. Part of being able to connect is being available to other people, and no one can do that without a break.”


I don't openly give myself as much proper alone time as I want - phones, social media and the expectation that you should be contactable at all times being the downfall. But when I do...

In my alone time, I love to sit on my laptop in my bed and write/read blogposts, just see where the internet takes me, do some research, explore links, watch lots of youtube.

I love to sit and read a book. Maybe watch some TV or a movie while doing odd jobs and organising things. I love, love, love to sit or lie down and listen to some music, either while doing something else or just being fully present. 

Do you guys give yourself alone time? Do you sometimes feel guilty for doing it?
Do you enjoy it? What do you like to do in your alone time?

New blog post will be up next Tuesday!!! 

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❤️Raashi
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24 comments:

  1. I constantly take some "alone time" haha :D And I'm not even feeling guilty about it X)
    I love running alone, it makes me feel so free. Just me, music and nature around me. The music that I listen to is often "epic movie trailer music"(think Two steps from Hell) haha because I love to imagine stories in my head as I run :D
    I can't say that I read books when I am alone because I read them all the time and everywhere x)
    But I agree, some alone time without distractions is good for us (and our pets love it too) :D

    aluminah.wordpress.com

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    1. Rory, that is SO good! I'm definitely working on not feeling guilty about it and I'm getting so much better! Awww, hehe I love that! I always imagine little dances in my head when I listen to music :P I love that you have some awesome, disconnected from the online world hobbies, Rory! :)

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  2. interesting article. i know i need my alone time and although i do enjoy my time with others i do actually often prefer the time i spend by myself. being alone on your own terms, knowing you can have company if you wanted to, is so good:-) i understand the almost feeling guilty if you aren't reachable, but at the same time i'm really bad at answering back and tend to be out of reach and then have to apologise and make up excuses for it, haha! but it's still important to have time for yourself and your thought etc! :-) xx

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    1. You're so, so right Laura. And, almost in a weird way time alone recharges and refreshes you enough that you appreciate time with people even more when you do get that quality time :) Haha oh I'm a bit similar, friends know that usually I don't text back straight away :P

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  3. Great post! Alone time can be really invigorating and healthy. I'm an introvert so I crave some alone time once in a while :)
    Christina ♥ https://caliope-couture.com

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    1. Thank you so much, Christina! Yes, we definitely have to give ourselves some time out every now and then! :)

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  4. I love this post.. completely agree with you, thanks for sharing! I think your blog is lovely, let me know if you would like to follow each other!

    adelelydia.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you, Adele! Checking out your blog now :)

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  5. I love alone time because I only usually give it to myself when I've truly worked up myself for it, or if I've woken up super early haha. Life can get draining but we just need to know when to give ourselves a break, its the least we deserve! And I hope you get some rest lovely, don't beat yourself over it because you deserve, hope you feel rested soon ♥

    tipscapsule.blogspot.com

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    1. ME TOO. Haha, I don't allow myself a solid amount of alone, unplugged time without feeling guilty - and this time I just needed it! I love waking up early sometimes, so peaceful and quiet! Thank you so, so much lovely for the kind and supportive words ♥

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  6. Love that Oprah quote!! I absolutely need to have time alone on a fairly regular basis - otherwise, I start feeling stressed, drained, and my creative inspiration definitely deteriorates. xxx

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    1. I found it and just loved it - we definitely need some quiet time to sort through thoughts every now and then! Thanks for reading, Miranda!

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  7. Such a wonderful post, i could totally relate :) i always cherrish the times that i have to myself

    Girl About Town blog

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    1. Thank you for reading, Nicole. I'm glad you get to take some time out for yourself! :)

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  8. Beautifully put Raashi! This resonates with me So much! Being forced to take a break reminded me just how important it is to disconnect & to do it more often than sometimes I feel comfortable to. Sometimes in particular lines of work, we *need* to be reachable all the time but that can become dangerous if we can't detach from work and personal life! Definitely want to incorporate more alone time free from technology a little more often! :) Have started trying to turn off (work) emails on the weekend - baby steps!!
    Much love, Ana

    www.namastefromananya.com

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    1. Thank you so much, Ana! Yeah, I definitely think it's important every now and then, especially since we are always, always so switched on these days! Awww, I think that's a really good start to it! You always deserve some proper time off :)

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  9. Yes yes and yes. I didn't leave my house once today. And I am currently living alone as Michele is away :p and I don't regret a thing! Before September, I hadn't had any alone time for about three years due to sharing a house with three others and having longer working hours than the others so now I am revelling in it!! xxx
    Lucy @ La Lingua | Food, Travel, Italy

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    1. Oh my gosh, Lucy - I just love days like that, I always use days like that as my excuse to be such a slob and stay in PJs all day :P Oh wow, that would have been super full on! Hope you're enjoying some proper down time!!! I'm sure it'll also make it extra fun when Michele is back :)

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  10. I love this post! Time alone is definitely a blessing and a great way to recharge and focus on the things that are important to you. I think I'm guilty of feeling bad for taking time, especially from friends and family, but I like to think it pays off in the long run!

    Ally
    Hustle & Whoa

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    1. Thank you, Ally! So valuable to have a good recharge, I feel pretty guilty about it usually but after last week I'm trying to own it more! I also always think that close family and friends would understand that, they want the best for you after all :)

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  11. Lovely post, hun! I actually really enjoy being by myself, and doing things on my own - I've always been that way. I'm a huge introvert, and don't have many friends to socialise with, but honestly I've always been cool with that. I like hanging out on my own, when I can just sit in my pyjamas all day without having to worry about doing my hair and makeup, eating junk food and binge watching silly TV shows. :) Like you said, too much isolation can be unhealthy, but some alone time can be really good for you! <3 Thanks for sharing. x x

    Kay
    http://shoesandglitter.com/

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    1. Thank you for giving it a read, Kay! I loooove being with people, but every now and then I love having a home day, and honestly the days you described are some of my absolute favourites! :)

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  12. I'm definitely one for alone time. I live with my boyfriend but I will always make sure there is me time as it really is good for the soul! I'm the same as you in what I like to do - I especially adore curling up with a book and losing myself for a bit!

    Ps. Raashi please get twitter!!

    Musings & More

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    1. It truly is so nice every now and then, just a little time aside to do what you want to do, how you want to do it, and not having to worry about being "reachable" for a bit! I love reading books and really need to do more of it, nice to get wrapped up in a plot in your head sometimes instead of watching TV online or something!

      Oh my gosh, I have had a couple people tell me to do that and I've been needing to do for a while now, I will get onto it!!! :)

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