In college, it is not inherently easy to have time alone. You have huge lectures that are full to capacity. You have breakfast, lunch, and sometimes even dinner in a dining hall full of at least 40 people at any given time. You even have your designated buddy and your roommate who you have to see every day. You constantly have to interact with others which can be fine for some, but extremely difficult for others.

What does it mean to be alone in college?

Let's just get it out of the way, some of us are genuinely content with being alone. We sit in our room with the window wide open allowing in a subtle breeze as we listen to our music, completely undisturbed. We are able to hum along to the song playing or jump up and act out a scene from the music video we just created entirely in our minds. We can read books about incredulous Utopian societies while drawing out maps of the mythical world. We can lounge around in our underwear while eating a pint of ice-cream without the fear of being judged. We can even extinguish gases from our bodies without embarrassment (burps and farts are natural, do not debate me on this).

Being alone is awesome.

When people hear that someone enjoys being alone, they automatically assume the person is hiding some dark secret like a third eye on the back of their neck. Some people cannot fathom the idea of an individual enjoying their own company because long ago someone decided that humans must live in twos. That is simply untrue.

An individual can totally exist on their own.

I think that the people who cannot fathom the idea of someone being alone do not understand what it means to be alone. Being alone does not mean wallowing in sadness waiting for someone to come along and fill in the seat next to you. Being alone also does not mean a person is a freak of nature or a mysterious mythical being.

Sometimes being alone just means having time for yourself. In the time I've spent alone, I have learned a lot about myself. I have learned about the music I like to listen to and the books I like to read. I have learned about the qualities I like about people and the qualities I do not enjoy. Being alone gives my mind a rest from the sights and sounds of life and college.

Sometimes you just need a mental health day.

I think people would be less freaked out by an individual wanting to be alone if they understood that being alone is completely different from feeling alone.

Feeling alone SUCKS. Feeling alone is such a strange dull pain. It's like being in the center of a crowded room and feeling completely isolated from everyone else. When you feel alone, you don't feel connected to anyone else in any way (physically, mentally, or emotionally).

Luckily, spending one day alone won't cut you off from your friends or your family forever.

You are allowed to be alone at times-because you freaking deserve it.