Douglas Coupland once stated, “Remember: the time you feel lonely is the time you most need to be by yourself. Life’s cruelest irony.”
The moment I stumbled upon this quote, I fell in love. I fell in love because these exact words and this type of philosophy makes complete sense.
Some of you may be thinking, "Wait, we are humans, we are social beings meant to connect and be around each other." This is what we are told in life and I’m not disagreeing. That is incredibly true, but I will also argue you need to be with just yourself as well sometimes.
I wholeheartedly believe that you learn the most about yourself when you’re all alone, and I think it’s healthy to feel lonely at times, even though it is an empty feeling. Self-awareness and growth development happens in times of loneliness and isolation, so never be afraid to be in separation once in a while from the fast-paced, easily influential world. You’ll be extremely surprised about what you can find out about yourself when you’re one on one.
I know personally over the years, trying to understand me, myself and I has been quite the challenging and frustrating process and I’m still changing, learning and growing. We are always going through that process and there is nothing wrong with simply being in your room on a Friday night at 11 p.m., figuring yourself out.
It’s a beautiful thing to know you can be your own best company sometimes. Even if you’re not always digging deep into your thoughts, maybe you’re just reading a good book in your pajamas, or listening to a favorite song while cleaning your room. I find in those moments, you are at your truest self. The voice and thoughts inside your head when you’re in bed is the most honest voice and thoughts you’ll ever hear.
We are all always trying to fit into our skin, but I have found and discovered who I used to be, who I could be, who I should be, and who I am currently during those Friday nights alone in my room. It’s an amazing thing when you can learn, realize and recognize who you are as a person and come to an understanding.
Many people say they don’t truly feel they know who they are, but if you spend time alone to reflect, think, observe and question yourself and life, I think you’ll come to realize you may know yourself better than you think.
I ask you one question with this in mind: who are you when the world isn’t looking?
