Alone time: a fundamental need

Spending time alone is essential to rebalance yourself, especially in those stages when you feel overloaded. There is evidence that this causes important changes in the brain, thoughts and emotions.

Although time alone is a fundamental need, during the 20th century and so far in the 21st, we have witnessed an increase in the value given to social relationships. Although these contribute to our well-being, the perception of their absence is, in many cases, the source of fear and anguish.

There are various meditation practices which include spending time alone. In some of them, one of the tasks is to spend a few days completely in solitude and absolute silence, with hardly any contact with the outside world. Do you feel capable of doing this?

Perhaps most people would find it difficult: we are not used to such a low level of stimulation. Isolating yourself and not experiencing any contact for a while is a test of fire. To do this you need training. However, if this is a periodic exercise among those who meditate, it is precisely because it brings enormous benefits. Solitude, well managed, empowers.

“All great and precious things are lonely”.

-John Steinbeck-

The company is sometimes overwhelming

Social relationships demand a lot from us, especially when they are very broad and narrow. They also, of course, generate a lot of satisfaction. However, hardly without you realizing it, it is also something in which you invest a lot of your time and a lot of your energy.

Very easily we end up living depending on others. Work, your partner, family, friends… There are many social spheres in which we operate and each of them has its demands and tensions. Many times we reach a point where we cannot clearly distinguish where what is our own ends and where what is collective begins.. Or vice versa.

Read Also: The Genovese syndrome: the loneliness of the victim

Spending time alone is a way to refocus our attention and our energy in ourselves. An opportunity to be “selfish” without feeling guilty about it. These spaces help us find ourselves again. To perceive how we really are without the influence of that habitual context.

Time alone raises awareness

In some way, loneliness also imposes silence. There is a shift of attention from outside to inside. By stopping using the part of the brain that is responsible for speech, other areas of that organ begin to act with greater intensity.

In particular, There is evidence that attention and concentration are sharpened. In solitude, thinking sharpens, wit sharpens. At first the thoughts may be scattered, but the normal thing is that they later acquire a defined shape.

If you spend time alone for several days, the effect is that little by little you become more sensitive. This means that you begin to become aware of ideas and feelings that you may not have been aware of.. This is a way to wake up, to connect more in the dialogue you have with yourself.

There are effects on the brain

There are studies in which it is pointed out that solitude and silence benefit the folds of the cerebral cortex. Apparently, this causes the gray matter of the brain to thicken. The result of this is that you become more skilled at processing information.

This has a favorable impact on your cognitive processes. When you return to your normal life, you realize that you learn and memorize more easily. You get more out of any intellectual activity, becoming more productive.

Read Also: Gerontophobia: the rejection of older people and aging

In addition, It is very likely that in those moments of loneliness what they call “Eureka moments” will appear., that is, sudden inspirations. In other words, these conditions facilitate the emergence of creativity.

To consider…

Ideally, we can have at least 10 minutes a day to have time alone.. This does not mean simply staying alone and locked up, but rather finding a time and space available to be with ourselves. If not possible every day, at least three times a week.

However, In those stages in which we feel very “loaded” or overwhelmed, it may be necessary to do more intense exercise. It is advisable to take a trip alone. It doesn’t have to be on the other side of the world, but it does have to be in a space that really allows a break from the usual.

Get ready to feel some discomfort, especially if you haven’t done it before. Every change involves some resistance. However, if you follow its inertia – without a purpose beyond being with yourself -, you will realize that it is a worthwhile experience.