It’s OK Wanting To Have Some Alone Time

I was recently talking with a friend of mine about what I do now that I am unemployed. It was light banter, so none of the words being exchanged were taken seriously. After a few jokes thrown back and forth, he claimed that I probably spend all my time alone because I lack a bevy of friends to hang out with.

This might come off as a low blow, but as I mentioned, these claims held no weight. However, it made me realize that spending time by oneself possesses a negative connotation in the eyes of society, as my friend was using it as a pseudo-insult. I believe that is the wrong sentiment.

Truthfully, I do spend a lot of time alone. I am what you might call an “extroverted introvert”. This essentially means I love spending time with other people, but my free time preference is to hunker down somewhere and spend some quality time with myself.

Now, just because I prefer to be alone doesn’t mean I hate human interaction. It is actually quite the contrary. Being around other people is what gives me juice to get through my day. But after I get my daily dose of contact, I am perfectly content with spending the rest of my day by myself.

The issue with being alone is it exudes a look of depression to other people. While some truth can be given to that claim, that should not be the first inclination. Everyone needs “me time”. Even the people who thrive on social activities need to get away from their friends every once in a while.

My psyche is more at ease when I am alone, so I tend to shy away from too much social interaction. This does not mean that I am sad, angry, or mean that I will never hang out with people. I simply enjoy the calming feeling of being left alone to my own devices.

The point of my long winded explanation of preferred introvertism is to say that society needs to normalize people spending time alone. There is a lot of content online of people sympathizing with people sitting alone in public places. 2020 might have made it a bit more regular for people to spend time alone, but it still seems frowned upon.

Being alone does not mean one is lonely. Sometimes people just need to be alone. This does not mean those people are depressed and need a hug. Eating alone is OK. Walking alone is fine. Hanging out with friends is healthy and is almost a necessity, but spending entire days with your social battery running gets exhausting.

So, no. I am not depressed. I am not hateful. I am a tad awkward, but not to a fault. I love talking to people, especially ones I don’t know. I also enjoy being alone. I enjoy the feeling of eating somewhere outside with nothing to bother me. There are countless people just like me. Don’t pity them. Normalize them.

Kaleb Moore is a Wichita sophomore studying journalism. You can follow him on Instagram.

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