Last night was pretty much business as usual. Woke up, went to work, had a couple of very stressful meetings, went home showered, took the laundry down, started cooking and then launched myself into other work I had planned to finish. Before I knew it (compounding my theory that my wall clock races ahead on purpose) it was 11.00pm and my eyes were just on the point of giving it all up. So I washed my teeth and got into bed. I couldn’t sleep. My mind was whirring, thinking about all the other stuff I needed to do which I did not get done, all the while berating myself for not allowing at least 30 minutes to indulge myself into anything I felt like doing. Sounds familiar?

We get stuck in a rut so often in our lives that when realisation strikes, we find we’ve become some kind of robot programmed to work on the same routine. And that’s definitely not the way to go. Dedicating time for ourselves is crucial for us to lead better lives, and this is not just us saying it. Science is in on it too and as psychotherapist Amy Morin explains, the busier you are, the more likely you are to benefit from some quiet time.

Being alone promotes positive mental health

Amy Morin tell us that the ability to cope with solitude and with being alone is linked with increased happiness, better life satisfaction and improved stress management. Many of us confuse being alone with being lonely. While being alone is a physical state, when you are not surrounded with people, being lonely is a mental state. You may, for instance, be lonely even when people surround you. When you make time for yourself and find that you enjoy your own company, the benefits you reap are multiple

Giving yourself time helps you to get to know yourself better.

To everyone who is right now telling themselves, but I know myself, we ask them, do you really? Did you find the time to reflect on why something made you so irritable during the day? Or why your headaches are becoming more prominent? Getting to know yourself better ensures you’re more comfortable in your own skin, boosting your confidence and helping you take better decisions. Spending time on your own will also give you the possibility to discover something new you enjoy doing, like interior design, drawing or gardening. Embarking on new projects and ventures will give you a heightened sense of personal purpose. You don’t just live for other people. You live and exist for your own self too.

As you all know, here at Svea we promote physical well being. However, we also truly believe that to feel better on the outside, you have to give space to really know what’s on the inside.

Finding time for yourself sparks creativity and empathy

Being on your own gives the mind time to wander, focusing on things and ideas we might not have time for otherwise. Is it a surprise therefore, that artists prefer solitude when they’re creating something new? Empathy on the other hand is cultivated because you’ll have time to think beyond your inner circle of friends, in whose company you might often be. When you’re with friends, Morin says, there’s a tendency to develop an “us vs them” mentality. When we’re on our own and can see beyond, we find we can empathize with other people outside our circle of friends, easier.

It’s only when you’re alone  that you can really relax

I don’t know about you, but when I’m alone, when the house is quiet, the TV is off and my only company is a cup of tea and a good book, I can truly relax. I am answerable only to what I wish to do. Nothing demands my attention, except perhaps the handsome Italian protagonist in the latest fiction I’m reading – and I’m perfectly fine with that.

So take time off from other people once in a while. Lose your thoughts and ideas in yourself and, like a ripple effect, this positivity will have an effect on all other aspects of life.