Is it possible to be alone and not feel lonely?
Can it be healthy to be alone?
Does one have to be with others all the time to be happy and not feel lonely?
Here’s an article that takes these questions head on and brings fresh liberating perspective to the discussion.
In our Facebook world of constant texting, chatting, cell phone access and networking, time alone – truly alone – can be difficult to find. And if not alert, one might even conclude that time alone is not a normal or happy place to be. But author Leon Neyfakh challenges those assumptions. He contends that time alone can be very healthy, and can also make time together with others more fulfilling and positive.
Neyfakh talks about “Social loafing,” which is a tendency to let others do the work for you, and “Social-snacking activities,” which refer to all the different ways we stay in touch, but can become incredibly time-consuming and frequently all-absorbing to the detriment of more productive activities in our life. And a quote that jumped off the page: “Aloneness doesn’t have to be bad.”
It’s a long article, and void of specific spiritual reference, but if the topic is of interest to you, you’ll likely enjoy reading it.
Interesting, but it doesn’t address those of us on the other end of the spectrum who have way too much “alone” time to handle. That can really mess with your perspective too. I love alone time for all the reasons put forward in the article but really struggle to keep a balanced perspective with not enough input from close social/intimate relationships.
I have to be very alert to be aware of what matters and what doesn’t matter when with others – what is a big deal and not so big a deal. When you are not in a position of having to work things out with others regularly it’s easy to forget how. Even little things like gaging how much you are eating can get skewed without being around others.
It’s an interesting concept. Thanks for sharing.