Extroverts come alive by being around other people. Introverts, on the other hand, need to be by themselves in order to recharge. If you’re an introvert and not getting some much needed alone time, you will likely be feeling overwhelmed, taxed, and emotional.
Being alone is a beautiful practice to have. It is a time for self-reflection to connect with your thoughts and process the things that have been happening in your life. You can take stock of where you are at and where you want to be. It is taking the time to acknowledge and feel your emotions. Where are they sitting in your body? Where does healing and release need to occur?
Journalling is a fantastic way to process out your thoughts and emotions. Allow yourself to do some automatic writing. At the beginning, you may be in your head and what you write may be more surface. The longer you allow yourself to just write whatever needs to come out, you will start to enter into the subconscious part of your brain and your journalling will become deeper. You will start to bring up the underlying limiting beliefs, hurts, and wounds about what your experience is really bringing up in you. Journalling is also an opportunity for accessing clarity and insight about a situation, and problem solving what you can do to support yourself.
Take the time to listen to yourself to see if you have been getting the time you need for self-reflection and to let your body calm down. Many introverts are also sensitive, so they are taking in a lot of outside stimulus that is affecting their well-being. This can be from sounds, smells, and people. It may feel like an assault on your senses and you need to immediately remove yourself from the onslaught.
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Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, sometimes you just don’t want to be around people. You may be going through something and the thought of being around people is enough to send you over the edge. That’s okay. Listen to what feels right for you and support your well-being by being alone for as long as you need.
Of course, isolation over an extended period of time can be detrimental. Check in with yourself to ensure you are not having other symptoms that could present as a depressive episode. These symptoms would include: difficulty concentrating or making decision; feeling worthless, pessimistic, or hopeless; insomnia, difficulty getting to sleep, or sleeping too much; or a loss of interest in things that are pleasurable.
Other things you can do while you are alone: paint, read, listen to music, dance, meditate, or take a relaxing bath. Do what feels good for you. Ask yourself what your body needs to recuperate. Sometimes the best thing you can do is take a nap or go to bed early.
People often have difficulty being alone because they equate being alone with loneliness. We have become too dependent on social media, TV, video games, internet, and other distractions to fill our every waking second that we don’t know what it feels like to allow our brain to shut down and to just be present with ourselves. This is an important skill to have for self-care, well-being, emotional regulation, and overall life balance.
I hope you take the time to start spending some much needed alone time with the most important person in your world – yourself!
Find out more about setting boundaries and connecting with your body in the multi-award-winning book Embodied: How to Connect to Your Body, Ignite Your Intuition, and Harness Universal Energy for Healing.
With Blessings,
Vicky xo