As an energetically sensitive person aka empath, too much togetherness may seem overwhelming to me. Of course, I love experiencing connections but I can encounter quite some sensory overload especially when I am in an intimate relationship. I wrote about this specific topic in When I Feel What I Feel… 

I, therefore, developed a very strong hermit side, and I really don’t need to interact with someone each day. Through trial and error, I came to realize that I require a huge, psychic space around me so I can breathe. I need my quiet time and to replenish myself Alone—not with other people.

That’s why too much togetherness can put me on sensory overload. I am also not so great with crowds, yelling, chronic talkers, loud voices and sounds, or strong scents. This can be exhausting if I don’t practice self-care.

After giving a workshop and/or sacred ceremony I always need to plan in self-care, or decompression time. There is a lot of transformational and healing energy around during these group sessions, and I feel lucky that my workshops and ceremonies also create an uplifting high energy. This way I am also absorbing other people’s joy, compassion, and loving-kindness, which feels marvelous. But even having these high vibes around, it is still crucial for me to have downtime in nature, baths, read, sounds of the ocean or just curl up in bed and watch a movie. Decompression and alone time is, therefore, a key ingredient to my day to day routine. 

Did you know that when men lay giant bridge foundations in the water, huge watertight chambers called “caissons” had to be used. Men would work in them for 8 hours while under tremendous air pressure. Returning to normal atmospheric pressure resulted in terrible symptoms later known as caisson disease. It was discovered that a rapid decrease in air pressure releases tiny nitrogen bubbles in the blood. This cuts off the oxygen supply, resulting in nausea, achy joints, paralysis, and even death. Today, scientists know that the use of a decompression chamber allows a gradual reduction of pressure, which prevents the nitrogen bubbles from forming.

Similarly, we need a place to reduce the pressures of life. Especially If you are a sensitive person you need decompression time to be able to readjust. As the modern world taxes us. Literally, of course, but also emotionally and spiritually. We are far too busy, far to distracted, juggling too many tasks, keeping up with schedules that are too full. You can step out of the modern world for a time, taking a vacation. But it often takes a few days to settle into a slower pace of living.

So, being alone allows you to drop your “social guard”, thus giving you the freedom to be introspective, to think for yourself. You may be able to make better choices and decisions about who you are and what you want without outside influence. Often, we are swayed by the thoughts, feelings, attitudes, beliefs, and behavior of those in our immediate sphere. Of course, you may ask others for their advice and opinions but ultimately, consulting yourself and making up your own mind about what you want to do will lead you into the life that’s best for you.

Although alone and lonely are often thought of as being one in the same, alone doesn’t equal loneliness. Learning to be alone may be initially scary but once mastered serves as the cornerstone for your development and growth as a human being. There’s so much to be gained from learning to rely on, and more importantly, to trust your own inner voice as the best source for your own guidance.

I recharge my batteries when I can have time for myself to get back to my center, shaking off other people’s energy and emotional turmoils, tune out and regain my balance.

Take heart and example from the Great Masters. They embarked on solitary journeys to probe the depths of their being and to find answers in revelatory, transformative experiences. Spiritually, being alone may bring you closer to your inner being, allowing you to more readily access the creative and intuitive aspects of yourself. Choosing to enjoy being alone allows us to fully explore our most important relationship–the one with our true selves.

JoyLightLove,

Natasja