🌙 Learning to Enjoy Being Alone — And Why It Changed Everything

Hey Steemit family! 👋

Let me be honest: for a long time, I used to fear being alone. Not in a dramatic way, but in a quiet, constant way. I filled every silent moment with noise — music, social media, texting, scrolling, distractions.

But eventually, I realized that I didn’t actually dislike being alone — I just didn’t know how to be alone.

So I decided to change that.

This post is about my journey to enjoying solitude, and why I now believe that being comfortable with your own company is one of the most powerful things you can learn.

🙃 Loneliness vs. Solitude
There’s a big difference between being lonely and being alone.

Loneliness is feeling empty when you're by yourself.

Solitude is feeling full in your own presence.

I used to confuse the two. But once I stopped seeing alone-time as a problem and started treating it as a gift, everything shifted.

📵 The First Step: Disconnect to Reconnect
I started small:
No music or podcasts while walking. No endless scrolling when I was bored. Just… quiet.

At first, it was uncomfortable. I felt restless. My mind was loud. But I stayed with it.

And over time, I started to hear thoughts I’d been ignoring. I noticed the way sunlight moved across my floor. I actually listened to my own inner voice.

🌱 What I Gained From Being Alone
Clarity
Solitude gave me space to think clearly — without everyone else’s opinions in my head.

Creativity
Some of my best ideas came when I was simply sitting alone, staring out the window.

Emotional Strength
I stopped needing constant validation. I became my own safe space.

Gratitude
When I learned to enjoy my own company, I started appreciating other people more — not for distraction, but for connection.

📖 Things That Helped Me Embrace Solitude
Journaling: Writing down my thoughts helped me make peace with them.

Nature walks: No headphones, just me and the sounds around me.

Solo coffee dates: Going to a café with a book felt awkward at first — then empowering.

Mindful silence: Just sitting with myself, doing nothing. No phone. No goal. Just being.

🧠 Final Thoughts
We spend so much of our lives around other people, trying to keep up, trying to belong, trying to stay busy. But we forget that the most important relationship we’ll ever have is the one with ourselves.

“If you make friends with yourself, you’ll never be alone.” — Maxwell Maltz

So here’s my challenge to you:
Take yourself out for coffee. Go for a walk without your phone. Sit in silence for 10 minutes. See what happens.

You might be surprised by how much you actually like your own company. 💙

Have you learned to enjoy being alone?
Or are you still figuring it out? I’d love to hear your story — drop it in the comments!