Being alone used to scare me.

Well, I wasn't used to being alone. I was constantly with people. I was with my teammates during practice, in the library, and at meals. I had made multiple friends in every class, so going to class was a social event. I hung out with my roommates during my free time. I was constantly surrounded by people. Every moment of my day, besides when I went to sleep, was social.

But, at the time where being alone scared me, I was never able to be alone. My life was a huge social event where I did everything with others. My days were so busy that I never got a chance to just sit with myself and enjoy my own company.

When I left the school and town I was in, everything changed. I now had to make new friends, new relationships, and a new social scene. It was a lot harder than I thought.

So, I got used to being by myself. At first, it sucked. I was so used to hanging out with a new person every hour of the day, so it was weird now to maybe only hang out with one or two people a day. The remainder of that time was with me, myself, and I.

Accepting the idea of being alone most of the day was the hardest part, and it took me a while, but once that time passed I learned that being alone is actually the best part of my day.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love people. I'm a very outgoing person, and I love the parts of my day when I get to talk to my friends and classmates, but being alone gives me time to think. It gives me time to focus on me.

I now crave alone time on some days where I've been socializing all day. I need a little bit of time everyday to sit back and just be with myself.

Being alone doesn't have to mean that you're single and you have no friends, or that you hate people. I think that's where we go wrong. We make the meaning of the word "alone" be so daunting and negative.

I think we need to be reminded that being alone isn't weak. Doing things alone and having some alone time just signifies that you are okay with being by yourself in that moment, which I think is one of the strongest qualities someone can have.

One of the best feelings is sitting in a crowded room, maybe a coffee shop or a restaurant, and feeling alright just sitting by yourself, not having to engage in the social atmosphere around you.

If you're the type of person that loves social interaction and is always surrounded by others, that is completely fine. Remember, though, that is is absolutely, positively okay to be alone. Take some time and focus on yourself a little everyday.

Focus on you and improve you. You'll eventually come to learn that those moments will be the best parts of your day. Being social is great, but being alone is completely okay, too.