When you are in a new relationship, you want to spend every waking minute with the person you are falling in love with. However one of the biggest mistakes you can make is not making it routine to spend time by yourself. In relationships there is always going to be the need to spend time by yourself and being able to spend time away from your partner will draw you closer together. The saying “too much of a good thing” is relevant in every relationship, because anything in excess may do you more harm than good.
Part of having a healthy relationship is ensuring you have time alone. When you are alone, you can catch up on the things you don’t get the chance to do when you are spending time with your partner. Hobbies fizzle out and friends lose interest because you don’t show interest in them anymore. Because these were once essential to who you were before your relationship began, it can take a toll on you mentally.
The other important thing to note about wanting ‘me time’ for yourself, is that you also need to respect that your partner wants some too. It’s natural that you both need time alone. Everybody needs it. There is no need to be insecure about why they want time apart, as they have no reason to feel anxious about you wanting time alone. Time by yourself can help both of you to collect your thoughts, and it will make your relationship better for it.
Here are some of the benefits that timeout can have on your relationship.
You Can Process Life
Spending time away from your partner can help you to find yourself or reconnect with who you used to be. It’s a great time to reflect on everything great that is happening in your life, but also a chance to think about the great things you no longer do; and how to bring them together. When you are in a marriage, the chances are that you are almost always around people. At home, you may have your partner plus kids, at work you may be around people all the time, so being alone might be something you dream of for more than one reason. It can become very overwhelming trying to be around people constantly, and in conversation. Time to yourself will allow you to clear your mind and establish a deeper connection to yourself and your partner.
You Might Actually Miss Each Other
Being together all the time can become a little boring and seemingly routine. Of course, you are still in love with your partner, but being around them all the time can become tiresome, frustrating and sometimes we all just need a little time to breathe. Time away from them will allow you to step back and see the value they bring to your life. If you spend a short time away from your partner, it might just take away that routine boredom that is building and replace is for yearning for them or missing them. Looking forward to seeing someone has a very healthy impact on any relationship.
It Reduces Your Stress
Every relationship takes hard work to make it valuable. Marriages can also be very stressful and taking some time out to gather your thoughts will help you to realize all that is good with the relationship and what (if anything) needs fixing. Being alone will help you to switch off and de-stress a little.
It Allows You To Have Your Own Lives
Before the relationship, you had a life. Continually depending on your partner to come up with ideas on what to do, or not wanting to do anything without them can cause stress on a marriage. It creates an unhealthy balance that will only end up with you forgetting who you used to be, and unable to fend for yourself. Relying solely on your partner will end up in losing yourself.
And the most important thing is that when you have time apart to do things you enjoy, you will actually have new things to talk about when you come home. Enjoying the things you are interested in, strengthens your relationship through better communication.