Many people struggle with how to be okay being by themselves. Some are not dating anybody, others may lack friends or family in their life, and still others have never spent time alone.
You may think the idea of being by yourself can seem overwhelming or even scary. However, the truth is that spending time with yourself can be extremely beneficial for your mental health and well-being. It is a chance to come back to yourself, take the time to learn what you may need to work on, and take yourself into consideration as a priority instead of pleasing someone else.
How To Love Being Alone
When you're alone, you can learn a lot about yourself. You can find out what makes you happy and how to make your life better. You might also discover that being alone isn't as scary as it seems; in fact, spending time with yourself is often very rewarding.
But it's not always easy to be alone--and sometimes we need some help getting started on this journey of self-discovery! Here are some tips for getting started:
● Set aside some time each day where no one else will interrupt or distract you from your thoughts. The ketamine therapy sessions are a great time for this because alone time and self reflection is pivotal for a meaningful session. If you are not doing a session that day, simply increasing your awareness of yourself during alone time can be beneficial.
● When you are alone, take a third person view of yourself- imagine a clone of yourself that you befriend. You might discover little quirks, funny things you think or do—even something special about who you are. What makes you, you? You’re very aware of what you don't like about being alone. Stop looking at that, and focus on the things you enjoy about your own company instead.
● Make a point of using this time to reflect—jot down your thoughts and keep them for later.
What does it mean to be alone?
As you think about what it means to be alone, here are some things to consider:
● Being alone doesn't always mean being physically separated from other humans; sometimes it simply means being mentally separated from others because you're deciding to focus on yourself instead of always prioritizing others. Being apart means having your own thoughts, feelings and behaviors, and allowing yourself to feel like you deserve to give that time and consideration to yourself.
Why spending time alone is so important.
While spending time alone can be difficult, it's a necessary part of the human experience. We need time to reflect, think about what we want in life and how we can achieve those goals. We also need quiet moments where we can be still with ourselves--and our own company--without distractions or noise. We need to hold space for ourselves.
It's important that you understand that being alone doesn't mean being lonely; it means having enough quality time with yourself so that when someone else does come along, you know exactly who they are and what they mean to you before making any big decisions about them (or about your relationship).
Taking Care of YOU
Start showing up for yourself. Start doing things for yourself that you do to show you care for others. This can be as small or large as you want it to be. Pack your lunch the night before. Leave a love note to yourself on the dresser. When you're emotional, don't judge yourself, and instead comfort yourself in the way you would care for someone you love. Don't be upset with your emotions and instead try to understand why you may feel this way.
When you do kind things for yourself, you’ll experience how it feels to be cared for by yourself, and you'll experience how other people are cared for by you. If you start feeling and experiencing the value that you have, rather than just thinking it, then this sense of worth will remain with you.
When you experience the power of being thought of and cared for by yourself, you will never have to question your value because you know what you bring to the table. When you give that love to someone else, you’re not going to question if it’s valuable enough. You now know what you have to offer in a small capacity.
How can ketamine therapy help you connect with yourself?
Studies and trials have shown ketamine therapy is an effective way to help you connect with yourself. It's a safe and relaxing process that allows you to focus inwardly, without distraction from the outside world. Through ketamine therapy, people often find their true selves--the person they have always been but have been unable to see due to stress or other factors in their lives.
They also discover what they love about themselves (and there's usually quite a lot!). This can be the starting point for finding your purpose in life, which ultimately leads us down different paths toward personal growth and fulfillment.
When we're with others, we have the tendency to focus outwardly.
But when we find ourselves alone, we're able to turn our attention inward.
When we're with others, our attention is usually focused outward. We're watching them and interacting with them. We tend to think being with or chosen by others is a silent validation that we matter, but that isn't true: being alone can actually help you feel more confident in yourself and your abilities. When you turn your attention inward, this is when it becomes easier to notice the feelings and thoughts that might otherwise be drowned out by external stimuli.
When you are alone without distractions and have time to think about what matters most in life right now--your relationships with other people (and yourself), for example--you may find yourself thinking more deeply about how you want those relationships to look going forward.
If you're looking to improve your life or just want to spend some time connecting with yourself, we hope these tips have been helpful! If you want more information about ketamine therapy, contact us today. We'll be happy to answer any questions you may have about this treatment option and help guide you through the process of finding out if it could work well for your needs.
This blog is not medical advice or therapeutic advice but general knowledge to help you get the most out of your experiences with psychedelic therapy. At-home psychedelic therapy sessions with generic ketamine may be prescribed "off-label" for suitable candidates as an alternative pathway. Over the last two decades, research suggests that ketamine may be able to safely and effectively improve many treatment-resistant conditions. A form of ketamine, Esketamine (Spravato), is an FDA-approved medication for depression. Spravato treatments are only available in-person in our office. Our at-home programs include therapeutic guidance, safety protocols, breathwork, virtual treatment preparation and 1-on-1 integration coaching to get the most out of your sessions.
