Some of my best days have been spent alone. For many this might sound odd, but for me, it’s just an introvert thing. Being in the company of just myself has helped me get to know more about who I am and answer many questions that have and continue to shape the woman I am today.

It is not typical for us to grow up and be raised to have complete autonomy as kids. We are taught to conform to society’s way of life. We don’t have the authority to choose our own paths as children; well not traditionally. That’s the whole purpose and hype behind being “grown”. It is not until this point that we truly take on our own paths, putting our wants and needs first in order to shape what we want our lives to become.

It is important for each of us to find out who we are. Yes, you can know who you are while being surrounded by people but what that does is bring along outside influence. We are ever-evolving so having other people play a part on our decisions and interests could steer us away from opportunities to learn new things about ourselves.

Self-care is self-growth. Spending time alone could feel like an unnecessary task for some but it is an important part of self-growth. In school we are given assignments that are intended to increase our overall understanding of particular subjects. Think of self-care as homework for your own benefit. You get to select your own assignments and you are in charge of grading yourself at the end. If you don’t do the homework you might not fail life’s tests but you do lessen your chances of bringing forth your best self.

Apart of growth is knowing. Once you take the time to learn about yourself you are allowing for room to grow. If you think back to your younger self, or better yet if you look at a picture of yourself when you were younger, I am sure you can name things that you have: learned, experienced or changed since that moment. We grow from what we go through. The great part about self-care is that it allows time for us to reflect and produce positive experiences that are customized to fit our own needs.

When you take time to be with yourself and do things that bring you joy you unlock and ignite parts of yourself that you become proud of. It’s an indescribable feeling but I would say you become more at peace. You hold the power of knowing who you are from being alone and practicing self-care.

A part of our journeys through life involves the yearning feeling of wanting to figure out who we are. In order to achieve that level of growth self-care as well as self-love must be implemented. There is no exact, or one way that this is done. The beauty of spending time alone is that you find out how you like to occupy your time. You find out what you love and what puts you at peace.

This topic makes me wonder at what age is self-care is first mentioned? Are children being taught the importance of self-care? Either way try to challenge yourself to fit in time to do something that brings you joy at least once a day. Also feel free to share what you have learned about yourself after practicing self-care and what you like to do for your own personal self-care exercises.