5 Ways to Enjoy Alone Time (and Why You Should)

Have you heard Ariana Grande’s new song NASA? “I’mma need space, I’mma I’mma need space” <<< — basically my theme song. Because I love and need alone time. But I wasn’t always this way.

When I was in the Navy, circa 2008–2010, I hated to be alone. I would immediately feel restless and uncomfortable and seek out company. The feelings that came up when I was alone were just too much for me to deal with at the time. So I surrounded myself with people constantly — which isn’t particularly hard to do when you live on base in barracks.

After I got out, I stopped hanging out with a lot of the people I spent time with in the Navy. I had gotten married and was pregnant, so the endless partying and socializing wasn’t really my “scene” anymore. I got really, really depressed for a number of reasons. Instead of spending time with friends, I watched Friends reruns and cried. Sounds sad because it was sad. This went on for about half of my pregnancy. The hormones, the emotions, the major life changes — they all added up to me feeling lost and confused about who I was and where I fit into the world. Being alone a lot made this all so much worse but I truly didn’t have the energy it took to make new friends at that time.

I wish I could remember what happened that led me to start doing stuff by myself but I don’t. However, I do…