Something I get asked all the time is how I handle living alone. Especially during the era of social distancing, travel restrictions, and quarantines a lot of people wondered if I found myself getting lonely. Absolutely, there are times where I feel lonely or I get bored watching Netflix with Wrigley. On the flip side, sometimes spending time alone is exactly what I need to recharge. I think what's important, especially when it comes to combating loneliness and fatigue is balance. You hear it all the time work-life balance, family-friends balance, balancing workloads, etc., etc. But, there's a reason for that. Finding balance in different areas of your life is essential for keeping your sanity.
I consider myself both an introvert and an extrovert. There are times where being alone, rewatching my favorite movies, and hanging out with my dog is exactly what I need to recharge after a long day. Then again, there are times where all I want to do is grab a drink with my close friends and laugh together. Sometimes, there are even times where I want to spend time with friends and spend time by myself. There's no set formula to finding this balance, at least I haven't found any magic formula. As much as I love planning and organizing, I don't keep track of how many hours I'm spending in these areas. But, over time I've been able to find the balance that works best for me.
For me, this balance became fairly intuitive once I graduated college. What I've found is if I've had a long week at the vet clinic, I tend to crave alone time but if I've spent a long time working on the blog or the podcast or other more solo tasks I crave time with friends. It makes sense if you think about it, after spending time alone wanting to be with people seems to make sense and if you've been around people for a long time you want 5 minutes to yourself.
The hardest part about finding this balance is sticking to it. I can't tell you how many times I've struggled with knowing I need time to myself but feeling bad about not hanging out with friends. But, at the end of the day prioritizing what you need at any given time is so much more important and more beneficial in the long run. Finding the balance between spending time alone and time with others will help keep you from feeling lonely and burnt out because you'll be able to give yourself what you need when you need it.
How do you balance time with yourself and with others? Are you more of an introvert or extrovert?
Let me know!
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