Humans are born as naturally social creatures, and therefore, they spend a lot of time with people with whom they feel fulfilled. Although all amazing relationships come from spending quality time together, sometimes it can be beneficial to a person’s mental health to take a moment for themselves to let the thoughts in their head settle down and relax.
Doing things alone can often be enriching and helpful for calming the mind. Junior Margo Gallegos says, “Even when I don’t realize it at first, it gives me a chance to take time to recharge and work on personal projects. I would also say that spending time alone lets me better think about other plans with people in the future.”
More often than people think, taking a minute to slow down and do some activities alone can improve thinking skills by relying on the inner monologue inside people’s heads. Most of the time, thoughts inside people’s heads are so clouded because they are constantly in crowded and overly social situations. Being alone, or opting out of a social activity to do a more solitary version of it, can be very helpful for the mind.
When asked about the balance between alone time and social events, Gallegos follows up with: “It definitely does feel comforting, and I really do believe spending time alone can be relaxing. But I also think it’s important to spend time with people too, so that there is a good balance.”
Many challenging activities, such as homework or studying for a test, can sound more appealing to do with a friend to make it more entertaining, but oftentimes it can delay progress and lower the efficiency and level of work done. When work is done alone, the brain has one task to manage, instead of two. This can make work faster, and it will be done more efficiently, leaving more time to socialize.
Although socializing is critical to keep a happy and healthy lifestyle, teenagers should consider taking time for themselves in order to organize their thoughts and prepare themselves for the upcoming things they have to do. It is important to have a good and productive system to get work done, and that includes time alone to think more clearly.
