When I Am Alone

Alone.

To many, that five letter word freaks people out- so much so that entire lives are wasted on trying to avoid it and everything that comes with it. The silence that hangs in the air, the constant questioning of whether you're missing out on something or not, the awkwardness you feel as you sit waiting for someone to text you- you extroverts out there know what I'm talking about. Being alone is a completely different experience than having your best friends by your side. And in a lot of cases, it's seen as boring and lame, and people tend to look down on those who enjoy it.

For me, making sure that I was hanging out with friends on Friday nights and constantly checking to make sure that people I knew were going to be at the same social events as me was a constant in my routine. Fearing that my peers would see me as less fun or weird, I never wanted to be seen alone. But with schedules becoming more hectic for both my friends and I, being alone became inevitable.

Walking around in the hallways of school and studying during study hall had all of the sudden become so much different because I didn't have someone by my side at all times. And as my eyes were opened to my surroundings, I wondered how other people that were alone most of the day, were completely unaffected by it. How could they walk through the cafeteria or into a classroom by themselves with their heads held high, seeming like they don't have a care in the world?

Then I realized, being alone isn't as weird as I thought. Looking about my school, I started to notice that there were actually quite a few people walking by themselves. And along with this, I became aware of the fact that being alone, doesn't mean you're lonely- it just means that at certain moments you might not have people around you. These realizations really impacted me and my confidence and my overall outlook on my day.

If being alone just isn't your thing, I get it. Most of the time it's pretty uneventful and can be annoying. But I encourage you to find confidence in your own skin. Being by yourself is totally normal, and I always like to tell myself that it's the time to rest and take a break from the world.

I heard a quote one time that stated that "When you're alone, take time to reinvent yourself". Just as spending time alone is good just to give yourself a rest from people, it's also benifical to use that time to develop yourself- work on who you are as a person. Through excersizing, reading, drawing, or any other number of things, you can further develop your characteristics and skills for the better.

Alone- it's not that scary of a word unless you let it be.