Spending Time with a Stranger (Me)

I decided to spend some time with the one person I’ve been ignoring: me

I recently realized that I spend pretty much all my time with other people. I enjoy what I do and I love the people with whom I’ve surrounded myself, but it is so easy to fall into the pattern of giving everyone else my time and attention. After doing that for so long, though, I realized that the only person I wasn’t spending time with was me. Hence, I decided to spend some time with myself.

Going away to a place where you don’t have to meet deadlines, give attention to others, or immediately respond to requests can be a lifesaver. It can provide an opportunity to think and hear your own voice for a change. Stopping to hear yourself think and breathe is a wonderful act of self-realization and comfort. It soothes. It inspires. It reenergizes.

People often don’t pursue spending time alone because they think it has to be a formal process that involves an extended stay away from the rest of the civilized world. Trust me when I say that quality time with yourself doesn’t have to include a weeklong vacation on the beaches of Mexico or a weekend of isolation in your uncle’s cabin in the woods.

Time alone can be as short and simple as spending an hour in your favorite corner of your favorite bookstore, sipping coffee and reading a magazine or book. It can be taking a drive along a scenic road while you listen to the sounds of the radio or the voice inside your head. It can be sitting on a bench in a park. A brief respite from those around you can happen without spending lots of money or fully disconnecting from the life you know.

Go ahead. Take some time getting to know the one person you’ve been ignoring while you engage in this hectic , all-consuming world: you.