I did have someone close to me who not only struggled with being alone, he also didn’t like himself, which didn't help and that added to how he felt about spending time on his own. Are you happy spending time in your own company, or does the prospect send shivers down your spine?

Perhaps at the heart of this is how we see ourselves and whether we even like ourselves. Sadly, there is a correlation between how we feel about ourselves and being alone. We can’t use our past as an excuse, it’s not how it works, but it's usually how we work.

If being alone is something you’re not used to, the first time can be slightly difficult, but when you start to spend more time in your own company, you will get to feel much better about doing it. If we do something long enough, we get used to the idea and that gives us a different outlook, a different way to think and a different way to be.

It’s also easy to pick up on other people’s nervous tension, energy and stress, which adds to our stress, which is why time out is even more important. We can be at our most creative when we’re on our own. I know that I am. That aside though, it’s important we make time for ourselves.

Although doing something we’ve never done before can make us anxious, it’s also a brave and courageous thing to do. It's important for us to start liking ourselves, to want to spend a little more time on our own. It's important for our health.