I’m an Introvert, and I Need Alone Time for My Mental Health

an introvert taking alone time for her mental health

Those quiet moments that everyone else seems to fear like the plague are often the best parts of my week.

As an introvert, I’ve often felt guilty for choosing to stay home on a Friday or Saturday night rather than going out and spending time with friends. This guilt occurs even if the thing I choose to do is something I was looking forward to, like reading a new book or watching one of my favorite movies.

Guilt occurs even when the thing that everyone else is doing — like going to a karaoke bar or attending a crowded football game — is something I know I wouldn’t even enjoy.

Yet there’s still this little voice in my head. It whispers to me that it’s “abnormal” that I like to spend so much time by myself.

Yes, I am an introvert, but surely staying in on a Saturday night is crossing some kind of line into unhealthy territory. What would my peers say? What would my coworkers think?

Often, I find myself embarrassed and making up excuses to stay in. I say I have a lot of work to catch up on or I need to spend time with my family. Sometimes I even flat out lie and say I’m not feeling well.

Alone Time Is for My Mental Health

The thing is, the last one isn’t as much of a lie as I used to think it was. The more I’ve come to understand what it means to be introverted, the more I realize that alone time is something I need for my mental health.

This need shouldn’t make me feel ashamed or guilty, but for some reason, I’m afraid people will think less of me if they know what a “loner” I am.

I live by myself, and I love living by myself! Yet I feel the need to constantly convince people that I’m okay with this. I’ve spent so much time fending off questions like, “Don’t you get bored?” or “Don’t you get lonely?” that I actually began to believe there was something wrong with me.

Am I really lonely? Do I need a change? Maybe I am stuck in my comfort zone and need to shake up my life.

Quiet Moments Are the Best Parts of My Week

Society tells us that people who willingly spend weekends at home watching TV, reading books, or cuddling their pets are lame. We should all be weeping into our couch cushions and loudly singing “All by Myself” at the thought of spending a Saturday night alone.

However, those quiet moments that everyone else seems to fear like the plague are often the best parts of my week.

Recently, I had a huge breakthrough that helped me stop feeling guilty about my need for alone time. I asked myself, “Am I really lonely, or is society just telling me to be?”

I began to realize it wasn’t those quiet moments alone in my apartment that I dreaded. It was that moment on Monday morning when my coworker asks what I did over the weekend — and I have to say “nothing.” It’s the explanation I feel the need to give someone I barely know who invites me to a party — an excuse that’s not just “I don’t want to go.”

Those are the moments I hate.

But curled up under my favorite blanket with a new book and a cup of tea on a Friday night? That’s when I’m perfectly at peace.

Introverts Don’t Need to Be ‘Fixed’

According to Susan Cain in her book Quiet, introverts make up about one-third to one-half of all Americans. However, because we are quieter and often try to pass as extroverts, we’re still seen as the minority. We are the “other.”

Therefore, society says we need to be fixed. We need to go out more. We need to feel guilty for every Saturday night we don’t spend surrounded by other people.

But that’s simply not true.

No one should tell you how to live your life — not society, not your friends, not your nosy coworkers, not even your family. If you’re happy staying in, living alone, and doing your own thing, it’s perfectly okay.

Introverts shouldn’t have to feel guilty for who we are just because we’re different from the extroverted idea of “normal.”

Being introverted is part of who I am, yet I’ve heard people whisper the word as if it were something to be ashamed of. Everyone always wants you to be your own unique self, as long as that self is loud, vibrant, and outgoing. Sometimes I can be those things, too, but only if I get enough rest and have enough “me” time in between.

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What Feelings Are Motivating Your Plans?

Like me, if you feel guilty about not going out enough, it’s time to ask yourself why. If it’s only because you fear what other people think, then that’s not a very good reason. The less you care about what other people think, the more confident you will become.

When you can confidently and happily respond to the question, “What did you do this weekend?” by talking about the book you read or the movie you saw or all the errands you checked off your to-do list, people will see that you’re happy and stop feeling the need to ask if you’re lonely or bored.

Some people look forward to going out and spending time with friends all week long. Others look forward to those quiet moments they spend unwinding and recharging for the upcoming week. You aren’t missing out if you prefer the latter, any more than the extrovert who does the former is missing out. Both are equally legitimate ways to spend a weekend.

And, on the flip side, you don’t have to spend every Saturday night alone to identify as an introvert. Introverts enjoy spending time with friends too — they simply do it in moderation.

Before I postpone my plans with my favorite book for a walk on the wild side, I always ask myself: “What feelings are motivating my plans?” If the answer is guilt or embarrassment over someone else’s expectations, you will find me curled up on the couch building my own memorable Saturday night.

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