Party for One: There is Nothing Wrong With Loving Time Alone

Stay at home, say no to a Friday night out, embrace time with yourself and find content in you are. Say it with me, my friends: there is nothing wrong with loving time alone.

Easier said than done, right?

I know. Being an introvert certainly isn’t an easy thing – especially when we live in what seems like an extrovert’s world, thanks to big personalities often being praised and constant streams of excitement always broadcasted via the ‘gram. (And I certainly fall victim to outcasted because of this – I catch FOMO faster than you can say F-O-…). But there is also something so rewarding about embracing your introversion and connecting with your true feelings and attributes.

So, for all the introverts and homebodies out there, today’s post is for you!

Temperatures here in Chicago hit us hard with -50 degree windchills and snowstorms – and safe to say, we were all trapped.

But I’m not going to lie to you: the thought of being “trapped” for a couple days gave me a little sense of excitement. I daydreamed of some quality time to myself, pajamas all day, cozied up with coffee hand, a routine grounded in the comfort of my own home, extra space to buckle down and focus – anyone else getting little butterflies?

But what shocked me most is that I felt so very alone for feeling these thoughts. I felt as though society was telling me this was the wrong thing to feel. Friends, family and coworkers were sharing their feelings of going stir crazy, cooped up at home alone for two days. Media highlighted all the places you could go if you were crazy enough to venture outside. Instagrams throughout Chicago shared stories of peoples’ “excitement to be free.” Meanwhile, I couldn’t have felt more of the opposite. For the first time in a long time, I began to question my homebodied nature, wondering what the heck was wrong with me.

While social media can certainly make you feel like the loneliest person in the world, it can also provide you with community (and one that is easily accessible from home – for all the homebodies out there!) as long as you build the right one and surround yourself with people who inspire you and lift you up. Feeling very out of sort about my outcasted nature to love being home alone the past two days, I began scrolling through Instagram and was reminded by my community that is built of many introverts that introverted people may be in the minority of society, but we certainly not alone. We have a innate power in us and the best way to utilize that power is to embrace it.

So in the midst of this post aimed at providing ease to whoever might have felt similar feelings to my own, I also wanted to take a moment to thank you for being a part of my blogging community, for opening your heart up and for sharing pieces of your lives. You inspire me. Especially those she open up about what makes you, you! Whether that is your introversion or any other struggle – you are making a difference sharing your thoughts and feelings.  

So, today, I wanted to open up a bit more about my thoughts and feelings on introversion. While I certainly have my moments of wondering why I don’t want to fill my weekend with social plans like everyone else or why I am so thoroughly exhausted after even just an hour of small talk with strangers, I have also grown to love and appreciate this part in me, mostly due to the fact that others have shared their thoughts and feelings with me and made me feel less alone. So today, that’s my goal for you all: I want anyone out there feeling alone for getting butterflies by a Friday night in by yourself to feel empowered!

You may call it introversion: I call it a party for one.

Four Perks of Being an Introvert

Disclaimer: I love extroverts. I’ve lived with them. I’m dating one. Some of my best friends are extroverts. I joined a professional industry full of them. Today’s post has nothing to do with comparison towards extroversion and everything to do with embracing introversion. Everything you read below might be true for an extravert, as well, but I believe being an introvert has further strengthened these characteristics for me. XO

1.It helps me to find content.

I am the type of person who tries to do it all. I know I’m not alone on that. You know that graphic that went viral a couple years ago that was a triangle that listed in each corner, “social life, school, sleep” and then in the middle read, “pick two,” and every college student in the universe shared it? That little graphic is entirely right. It’s impossible to do it all. And once you graduate, that triangle becomes an octagon. Work, social life, side hustles, passion projects, health, cleaning, cooking, paying bills… the list goes on and on. And because of this way-too-strong desire to do it all, I have a hard time feeling content until it is all done. Being a homebody allows me to lock in on productive habits a bit more, making this near-impossible goal a little more attainable. No, I am not even close to doing it all. But at least I can find more time to get a little closer to my goals and feel content. I truly think that for me, personally, if I were more extroverted, I would not be able to keep up with a blog as much as a can now. Even though I do love nights out with my friends and family, I also love nights to myself, working on posts for the next week. This sense of balance helps me to find content and I am thankful for that

2. It gives me time to reflect

Spending time alone gives you a lot of time with your thoughts. I know to some people, this might sound scary and like exactly what you don’t need. I understand. Sometimes too much time rethinking a scenario can do more harm than good, but other times, it allows you to reflect and evaluate. What good is any step if you don’t take time to reflect on it? Enjoying time myself has allowed me to tune into my won thoughts much more, which has made me a stronger person.

3. It reinforces good habits

I think most of the time introversion goes hand-in-hand with a desire for routine. For me, a routine is essential to keeping my head straight. Just like I mentioned above, it is impossible to do it all, but on our journey to trying to do just that, routines are a powerful tool. I am absolutely okay with deciding not to do a Sunday Funday with the girls because I have meal-prepping and and organizing to do. Does that make me sound like I’m 60? Maybe. But that’s also me. When last-minute plans pop up, my introversion and homebodiness kicks in and my little routine angel sits on my shoulder. And I know that while, yes, I will have FOMO, I will also have a much more productive week sticking with a Sunday routine. (But Sunday Funday does sound pretty fun… all about balance, right?)

4. It strengthens my relationships

This might seem counterintuitive but a very common misconception about introverts is that you don’t like people. I love people. I am through and through a people person! But I don’t need to be surrounded by people every hour of the day to feel connected and loved. Being an introvert helps me value time with friends and family in quality, not quantity. Not only does this help when people away from your family and friends, but I also know that this has helped me personally the past six years in my distance relationship.

5. It gives me time to dream.

I have always loved to dream. Whether it is creating a Pinterest board of my dream home or brainstorming creative ideas and next big plans, dreaming has also been a strong part of me. I love to think to the future. This past weekend, I looked up apartments in six different cities. Why? I couldn’t tell you. But it was fascinating to dream about my life somewhere else. (Don’t get me wrong through, I love my Chi Town and am not going anywhere.) As much as I enjoy drinks with the girls, I also enjoy dreaming about what I could do with my life, both in the next six months and the next six years.

I hope today’s post touches even just one person who might be feeling like the odd-one-out because of your introverted nature, but remember: it is part of who you are. Embrace it. Love it. To all of the extroverts out there: you have your own unique strengths and I admire you all in so many ways! Embrace yours as strongly as I am encouraging introverts to embrace their’s. XO