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I am certainly not a person to repost or ride a trend wave. However, this image has been circulating among internet users I follow recently, and I respect the message behind it.

I have learned to spend time with myself like never before over the past few years. I learned how to appreciate my own company and have fun by myself. Whether it's binge-watching an enjoyable show, reading every evening, walking around the block while listening to a visual meditation recording or podcast, writing, or working, something has changed.

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I had never before learned how to be alone. I required human interaction, whether socially or professionally. I could not remain at home alone for an hour, nor would I go for a walk or watch TV by myself. Then I came to know myself. I discovered activities I never knew I would enjoy, let alone be skilled at. I began to read and write more. I began to recognize my genuine preferences, tastes, and opinions regarding daily activities and routines. I felt strangely happier. I felt relaxed and content.

This graph illustrates that over the course of our lives, we spend more time alone than with partners, children, or colleagues. We must discover how to spend time by ourselves. We must be our own best friend in order to achieve inner calm and give life a concrete, visible meaning. We must learn how to make ourselves smile, giggle be intrigued and impressed by a book, take a walk with ourselves, and treat ourselves with kindness. We must learn to have compassion and forgiveness for ourselves. We will experience a different kind of pleasure, warmth, and closure that is genuine and not fabricated for the benefit of “followers”.