Whether you are homeschooling, working from home or living in a confined space with your partner, you will be the first to know how it feels to have a huge desire for “alone time”. Since the pandemic back in 2020 and the many lockdowns across the UK, many companies have now become far more flexible with WFH (working-from-home). This has many benefits (less time spent travelling to and from work, ability to now collect children from school, etc), however, it also has its downside for some women whereby home (their safe place) has now also become an everyday workspace (and again this for many women may equal stress and the added pressure of saying “do not enter the office” to their children who are banging on the door whilst they are in a TEAMs meeting!
During the coronavirus pandemic, there was a lot of discussion about loneliness and the concern around the decline of mental health and well-being of Brits. At a time when seeing friends and family outside of our households was not always possible, it became clear that this had a knock-on effect on our mental and physical health (i.e., low mood and anxiety, lack of motivation, etc) were being reported by researchers.
However, just as more people have found themselves feeling lonely, there’s also been an increase in people struggling to find time to be on their own! If you are currently homeschooling or working from home in a house share, you will be doing your best to factor in ‘me time’ at any given opportunity, as spending too much time surrounded by people can equally be unhealthy for our mental well-being.
A series of studies by Psychologist Dr. Rob Coplan, highlights the difference between “loneliness, which usually results from imposed isolation” and “alone time, which is something you choose”, and describes the “feeling of irritability or overwhelm which comes from not being able to access a moment of solitude”.
Despite the many articles on the importance of socialising and “getting yourself out there”, spending time on your own can offer a whole host of benefits if you use your time affectively. We are all unique individuals and thus benefit from different activities when alone in different ways.
As a Chartered Psychologist who worked for a London Local Authority for 18-years and then 6-years ago went part-time to spend the other 2-days growing my own consultancy and business, ‘Navigate Your Mind’ www.navigateyourmind.co.uk , I would certainly vouch for the many benefits of spending time alone! In factoring this “alone time” into my weekly schedule, I feel my relationship with my husband and daughter has improved, making the moments when we do connect with each other much more meaningful and fruitful.
I am delivering a number of Coaching, Mentoring and Therapeutic Art Sessions on a 1-2-1 and group basis to assist women (at whichever stage they are at in their lives) to feel more empowered, confident and fulfilled in 2023 and in the New Year! Get in touch for further details…
