17 Introverts Chime In About Why Alone Time Is The Best

Some solitude does the soul good.

Elana

• Published in Interesting
• November 1, 2020

You probably know by now if you're an extrovert, an introvert, or somewhere in between. We all have unique personalities but we also all have relatable personality traits.

That said, if you're not an introvert then sometimes it might feel really difficult to fully wrap yourself around the concepts that drive an introvert's personality and choices. This is especially true when someone you care about is an introvert.

While the extrovert thrives on social interactions, getting out and about, and mingling with the masses, the introvert has limited capacity for such things and often prefers a quiet night in and a small social circle of trusted, good friends.

This led one Reddit user to ask the timeless question, "why do you like being alone?" The answers might surprise you, or you might find them relatable.

1. When you're done, you're done.

“People are nice until they become exhausting.

I don’t want to be rude but i have learned over the years that when i am done socialising i am done socialising and there is really no point in me continuing to socialise if i cant draw no enjoyment out of it.

I wont be no fun to be around any longer anyway.”

2. The desire for solitude grows exponentially.

“At first it was quite uncomfortable, but over time it became tolerable, and eventually preferable, for me.

It’s as if the longer I’m in solitude, the more of it I want.”

3. The perfect chance for self reflection.

“Because I have to sort my feelings and thoughts out which is crucial to me.

In order for me to live with people, I first must have a control over my own thoughts and emotions and be in tune with myself.

Just like there is a world outside, there is one inside of us, experienced through blissful loneliness.”

4. Sometimes when you're around people you just make everything worse.

“I like to be alone because I can’t control my emotions, so if I shut people out, no one can get mad at me.

It’s a win win situation and also social anxiety is a big issue.”

5. Less chances to embarrass oneself.

“I’m a bit of a weirdo and I like being alone because I don’t have to explain why I said something or did something.

I feel like when I’m around people that I have to significantly “tone down” my personality, which can get pretty exhausting.”

6. Y'all are loud ASF

“I have really sensitive hearing. I wear earplugs but it is only a dampener.

I have noise cancelling headphones but it is only a dampener.

And people are loud.”

7. Some people just prefer the company of themselves.

“I am my own best friend.

I don’t have to explain or justify myself to anyone else. I can do what I like, with whom I like. If I want to play on my PS4 for 20 hrs there is no one telling me to stop.

Having been married then divorced for nearly 40+years being on my own is a blast. I also just love being at home. I don’t miss working, as that was very stressful being around people and all that entails.

Now I can invite people into my space when I want to. Being retired is the most awesome thing.”

8. Alone with your thoughts? Yes, please.

“I like to be alone with my thoughts.

I am a deep thinker and like to have time to figure things out on my own.”

9. The quiet is perfect.

“I enjoy the quietness and the ability to plan my whole day as I see fit.

However, after a few weeks it gets old. I’m married with kids, but travel a lot for work. I’ve been on the road for over a month.

I miss my wife and kids running around. We are all introverts, so we plan our day and do our thing together, sometimes just me and the kids.

It’s perfect.”

10. There is safety in solitude.

“For a lot of us who grew up in abuse, alone is the only time you’re really “safe,” and that association sticks even after you leave the abuse behind."

11. You can't replace a good friend.

“One reason is that I’m lazy as hell. Another is because my old friends are irreplaceable.

Obviously I’m not going to find any exactly like them, and also there are plenty of good people around to befriend. But growing up with a group of friends from what seems like diapers to High School, you just can’t compare.

Moving away from my childhood town was difficult, especially because I wasn’t planning to and it was sudden. Two years later? We’ve all already drifted apart like most HighSchool friends do.

And it just sucks knowing we’ll all never be around each other again.”

12. Ew, people.

“Because I really don’t like people.

Have you ever really sat and listened to people? Some complain about everything, others brag about how great they are.

It’s just annoying as hell.”

13. My world is better than the real world.

“Because my world is far more interesting than the one I am forced to inhabit.

It only exists inside my mind, but so do the majority of ideals which structure up our world. They only exist because people demand they do.

In less than 100 years I will be a footnote in history, I’d rather spend that time doing things I enjoy than sacrificing my happiness on the altar of cultural demands for sociability and niceties.”

14. Familiar ASF

“Because that’s all I’ve ever really known.

My mother was a caregiver for my father when he was in hospice for two years so when she wasn’t working full time, she was at his side keeping him company and making sure he was well-cared for and not being abused.

When he was going through multiple surgeries before ending up there, I was at the hospitals a lot as a kid and did spend some time at the hospice, usually alone in the lobby reading or drawing.

Eventually, I begged my mom to just let me be alone. The hospice scared me. It smelled like death and the old folks really made me uneasy. She started either leaving me home alone or dropping me off at the library for the entire day on the weekends starting at the age of 9.

So I just got used to being alone. Once my father passed a year later, she allowed me to spend my summers home alone while she worked and I just got very comfortable with isolation and mostly silence.”

15. It's mentally exhausting.

“Mainly because I’m heavily introverted and have a fair bit of social anxiety, grew around people constantly judging me and basically grew sick of it

But I like the freedom of just being able to do anything I want and be myself, being around other people for long periods of time, even just talking, is really mentally exhausting for me.”

16. The Dream

“I am an extroverted introvert. I care about people. I have good social skills. People exhaust me, and social settings are terrifying/manageable/exhausting.

I want to live alone in an empty desert, and be visited weekly by a loving old friend, attend dinner parties with interesting people every other month, and host a raging bash quarterly.

That would do nicely…”

17. Relatable ASF

“Because I can completely be myself, and a lack of people make my senses less likely to overload. Also not being around people all the time helps you stay healthy and not catch all kinds of contagious illness.

My father used to get sick quite often but ever since he’s retired he hasn’t been around many people and their germs so now he hardly ever gets sick.

I can do things at my own personal pace. No one is going to complain if supper is an hour later than it usually is. It will still be delicious. No one is going to criticize my taste in music, TV shows or movies.

Or make fun of me for collecting dolls and stuffed animals. And when I’m working on a craft or hobby, I don’t have to worried about being too focused to pay attention to others, or have them interrupt me.

Interruptions are the worst!”

Elana