Remember the days when you were 16 and just got the newest version of the iPhone that would never leave your hand? You were constantly texting multiple friends during the day because you just had to be in contact with people AT ALL TIMES. You were paying more attention to your phone than you were to your family, and that didn't even phase you because your friends were the most important thing in your life and being on your phone 24/7 somehow translated into being "cool".

Flash forward seven years, you are 23 (yikes, I'm getting old); you have a small, and I mean small, group of friends, the rest are just acquaintances. You text your small number of friends maybe once a week to keep in touch and catch up on their life. You no longer get mad or disappointed when you check your phone and see you have zero text messages, and you are OK with this. You still like to meet up with your friends every now and then to grab some Mexican or a drink at the local bar. You appreciate your time together and are glad that the few friends you have after high school still make time for you in their life. The truth is, though, the older we get, the less we need the constant gratification from others. We do not feel the dire need to be around people all the time. We like our alone time. This isn't being anti-social, this is called growing up.

The older I got, the more I broke away from my phone and the constant back and forth texting with others. I honestly prefer to do most things alone now, but obviously don't mind doing things with others if time allows. Over the years, I learned to become my own best friend. When we are teenagers, we are still trying to find ourselves and figure out our paths in life. We confide in others and want their advice on everything like what to text your crush back or what to wear to the party; but the older we get, the more we learn to trust our own decisions. Sure it is nice to gain the opinion of others, but it is also nice to be able to rely on yourself and be confident in who you are.

When I was younger, I would never imagine myself sitting at home on a Saturday night alone. Now, this is something of the norm. I mean what is better than Netflix and chilling in your PJ's eating a pint of ice cream by yourself? Nothing! There are times when I am home alone, bored and would love to have a friend to do something with. As we grow so do our responsibilities and obligations and it isn't as easy just to meet up every weekend with friends as we once did. Again, this is called growing up.

As we mature with age, we learn who we can and can't trust, and realize what type of people we want in our lives. You reach a point in your life when you are less willing to put up with people who are toxic to you in any way. When we are young, we are willing to befriend anyone if it meant a chance to be popular. The older we get, the less we care about meeting those social standards. We no longer do things to make others happy, but rather do what makes yourself happy.

Remember, friends can come and go, but you stay with you forever. It is OK to be alone and spend time by yourself, you are not being anti-social, you are just gaining self-confidence and growing up.