Marcel Deer
Let’s face it – not all people are great at being alone.
Many of us hate the idea of doing certain activities all by our lonesome or going home to an empty house at the end of the day.
However, there are also people out there who are perfectly comfortable being on their own any time or even most of the time.
These are often people with very different minds who have other ways of making themselves happy and contented other than socializing.
How can we sleuth out who these unique people are?
I’ve got a few clues for you.
If someone uses these 12 phrases, they genuinely enjoy being alone and don’t mind if the world knows it!
1) “Solitude is underrated.”
Here’s a phrase you’re only going to hear from people who genuinely enjoy being alone.
The truth is that most people think just the opposite – that solitude is overrated!
But if you hear someone use this phrase, you know that they appreciate the value of some quiet time to themself.
They clearly feel that they gain something important and ultra-valuable by having time alone. While that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the most fun they’ll have in their life, I’m sure they wouldn’t trade their periods of solitude for anything.
2) “I’m free to be myself.”
If you hear someone say this about being alone, it’s a clear sign they think this is a truly valuable part of their lifestyle.
So many of us feel judged and held up to other people’s standards when we’re out and about in the world.
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was somewhere you could just be your one true self?
How about when you’re alone?
You certainly have to be comfortable with yourself to be able to appreciate alone time in this way. Or perhaps it’s the alone time that helps you become more and more of yourself, warts and all.
But if you feel free to appreciate yourself when you’re alone, you’re definitely going to enjoy periods of solitude.
3) “I love me.”
This a loud and proud statement of self-love, now isn’t it?
You might not be surprised to find out that this is a quote from rocker Gene Simmons from the legendary rock group Kiss. The full quote is this:
“A lot of people don’t like being alone because they truly don’t like themselves, but I love me.”
This is a person who has led an extraordinary life, it’s true, and it’s not everyone who’s going to be so appreciative of what they’ve got.
But then, a lot of people are still very happy with themselves, and that helps them really be comfortable when they’re alone.
4) “Being comfortable on your own is a superpower.”
It certainly is.
How many of us are able to walk into a fancy restaurant and sit down to a luscious meal all alone?
Who among us can say they wouldn’t be happy to be able to really enjoy their time alone as much as or even more than time spent with others?
Once you have this ability to really be able to be alone and not feel you need other people around or feel lonely, then you have something special.
A superpower?
Well, at least it’s an ability that will serve you in all aspects of life.
5) “I need time to recharge on my own.”
This is a classic introvert statement and one that you’ve probably heard often.
Well, extroverted people want nothing more at the end of a tiring day than to go out and be with people to re-energize; introverts are the opposite.
When they feel drained, the last thing they want is to have to socialize. Instead, they can only recharge their batteries by being alone.
Surprisingly to many, this is also usually the case for people with very high levels of empathy.
They often feel a very strong urge to get away from the heavy burden of soaking up other people’s emotions all the time and get re-energized by time on their own, too.
6) “Alone doesn’t mean lonely.”
For so many people out there, this is exactly what alone means.
But these words are certainly not synonymous.
Being lonely or lonesome is a feeling of lacking something, and that thing, of course, is human company.
Being alone doesn’t have to entail this feeling at all. Instead, it can be perfectly comfortable and not include any longing or feeling of missing out.
So when someone tells you that alone doesn’t mean lonely, it’s because they feel satisfied when they’re alone and don’t want for anything else.
7) “I’m too content being by myself.”
I’ve always thought that big-time celebs like actors on the silver screen and stadium rock stars are huge extroverts who need to be around people all the time.
It turns out that this isn’t true, at least not for everyone.
A lot of them are really happy being alone a good part of the time, just as the phrase above suggests.
In fact, this comes directly from famous Hollywood celeb Drew Barrymore. In talking about alone time, she once said:
“I have to exert myself and really say, oh God, I’ve got to see my friends cos I’m too content being by myself.”
She’s actually someone who enjoys being alone so much that she has to force herself to go out and be social.
8) “I’d rather be on my own than in a toxic relationship.”
If someone uses this phrase, they’ve probably been through the wringer.
So many of us have found ourselves, at one time or another, in relationships that could be considered toxic.
I know I have!
And a big part of the reason why is that we’re scared to be alone, so we choose to be in a relationship, even a bad one, to avoid this scenario.
But not people who are genuinely happy being alone.
They’re able to see the benefits of their own company and how that’s far better than spending time with someone who saps the joy out of you.
9) “I like to listen to my own thoughts.”
If someone says this, you can be sure that they have a great time being on their own.
Some people simply have rich interior lives that make them happy, entertained, and intellectually stimulated.
They don’t feel like they have to always look outside of themselves for fulfillment, at least not all the time.
Instead, they can be quite content in their own heads, thinking, planning, and imagining.
10) “Being alone is never boring.”
Those same people will probably use this same phrase.
Many people, especially those among us who are seriously extroverted, see little interest in any pursuit that doesn’t involve other people.
They value social activities over all else and almost can’t comprehend why anyone would want to do anything solo.
But there are people who genuinely enjoy being alone, and they don’t find it boring at all. They fill up their time with solo activities, hobbies, and plain old thinking, and that keeps them more than satisfied.
11) “Being alone inspires creativity.”
This is one of the phrases that people who enjoy being alone will very often use to explain to people who just don’t get it.
Famed Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant once said, “I like the idea of being alone. I like the idea of often being alone in all aspects of my life. I like to feel lonely. I like to need things.”
This is one of the most talented and creative people out there, so you can see why, to him alone, time is crucially important.
And yes, he does throw loneliness and neediness into the mix, but that’s not the case for everyone. That may be something that creates a tension that works for him, but many other creatives find their ideas come because of solitude in any form.
12) “You don’t have to be lonely if you’re there for yourself.”
Being able to be happy on your own isn’t something you can just flip a switch and decide to do.
Many people don’t have the capacity to be on their own because they don’t have the self-confidence and self-love necessary to spend a lot of time in their own company.
To thrive on your own, you need to be able to love yourself and take care of your own needs.
If you can, then no specter of loneliness need ever haunt you, and you can spend all the time you need alone and happy.
These are just some of the things you’ll hear from people who can successfully fly solo.
If someone uses these 12 phrases, they genuinely enjoy being alone. They don’t fear it; they embrace and even relish the chance.
If you’re one of these people, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. But if not, I hope you can better understand those who feel this way now that you know the power some people derive from solitude.
