Solitude: Reconnecting With Yourself

It is said that there are two kinds of people in the world, extroverts and introverts. Extroverted people get their energy socializing and spending time with other people, while introverts get recharge their energy by spending time alone. It's obvious that we live in a world run by extroverts. Let's say you are with a group of friends, but you don't feel like talking. Perhaps you're tired, or the conversation simply doesn't interest you. You can bet that 90 percent of the time somebody will point out how quiet you are, as if it's wrong to be silent. Heck, how about when you feel like spending time alone, yet somebody comes up to you for small talk with topics that have no interest or relevance to you? I'm not saying that small talk is completely bad, it's necessary when you are first getting to know someone, obviously. You're not going to spill your deepest darkest secrets to someone you barely even know, right? So small talk helps with figuring them out.

The point I'm trying to make here is that having occasional time for yourself is actually good for you. When you spend time by yourself, you can learn things about yourself that you didn't know. You can also use that time alone to reflect on your life, you can reflect on what you need to improve on, or what you would like to do in the future. Silence is also good for you. Too much noise can elevate your stress levels by activating the amygdala in the brain, that almond-shaped piece of gray matter responsible for processing our emotions, but silence helps reduce it. The combination of solitude and silence can also make you more creative. Being devoid of distractions in a peaceful environment helps your brain wander more, you daydream more, and as a result, your brain naturally comes up with all kinds of creative ideas that you may have not come up with if you didn't give it some time to 'play around'.

We are all wired differently, but if you are more on the introverted side, or if you can handle it, then I highly recommend taking some time out for peace and quiet. It really is helpful when you want to destress and be more creative. Silence is golden.

Alexis