What helps you calm down? Being alone Vs. Company?

Alone definitely. Not too many have the ability to relate to me or just get on my nerves. I do spend 99% of my free time (outside of work) alone to many other peoples amazement. They can’t comprehend how I live the way I do and I can’t understand how my more extraverted acquaintences live the way they do, go figure.

Yes, I prefer the balance.
Alone for a bit…..then in good company.
Kind of like a line graph…Work stress spikes it up high to freak-out mode, alone time to decompress drops it down low to calmness….good company will bring it right to the happy medium where it belongs.
Though alone time is usually my favorite for chilling the #%$# out after a long day.

I’m a consumate introvert. I need time to process alone. But I try to balance that with social activity because that is also necessary for continued mental health. Being around other people doing things to distract and bring moments of pleasure is a balm and a skill base that helps ward off more serious depression. But I still need that decompression time alone also.

Good company.

I like being with my SO, just the two of us.

I’m extremely introverted, I prefer being alone in nearly all situations

Probably being alone with some sort of distraction. I do adore being with my SO who can pull me out of a funk, but I feel bad about having him listen to the spew of verbal frustration.

Alone. There is no norm or etiquette to follow; I can do what I want.

hi thanks for your responses. at what point do you feel like you need to be around people? is it boredom? to focus on something else? or is it innately human to be around people?

for those who prefer being alone, do you mean being alone at home or are you including being alone outside with strangers like at a movie or park?

Being alone is the way for me. I often prefer to be alone as well. I’ve grown up dealing with problems on my own and I often learn from them if things turn out for the worse. Being with others just confuses me. And when I’m with others people don’t even notice anythings wrong and if they do notice, I just pretend nothings wrong.

@kdrive It is natural to want to be around people and be alone sometimes as well. Sometimes I want to be around people because I have nothing better to do, and sometimes I want to be around people because I want to interact.

I like to be alone at home.

People are the major source of my stress, so why would I want to be around them when I want to relax?

Kick out the MIL, the BIL and sit in the recliner with your guitar and life is good!

when i’m experiencing bad anxiety, i need to be around others. the other emotions depend on lots of factors. sometimes if i’m angry it’s best if i’m alone, other times, being able to vent to the right friend(s) is great… same with sadness. but if i need to just blow off some steam, getting out is healthy for me

I work in customer service and have to be really energetic and outgoing. Sometimes it’s relaxing to be alone and let it all hang out… wearing my jammies, drinking a glass of wine, and watching something really nerdy on TV or reading a good book. Sometimes when it’s been a really tough day I take a bath, light scented candles, then read and drink wine. Being alone is nice because nobody’s placing any demands on you and you can just decompress. When you work with people all day, that feeling is just like, ahhhhhh.

On the other hand, spending time with just a few people you’re close to can be really energizing. If you’re with people who really care about you, you don’t have to watch what you say or try too hard. It’s the best. I like that so much better than partying with a big group- that can feel like work sometimes.

In general, being with close friends calms me down. Talking to them is a big part of the “calming” process.

And yes, I am an extrovert.

I’m an extrovert and being with others is very important for me. Any time I need calming down the first thing I do is call up one or more of my mates and suggest meeting up in town. Then we sit in a pub and I have a good ol’ bitch about whatever’s upset me.

I think the definition of introvert/extrovert is exactly your question as to how one “recharges” their emotional batteries. I am very social, but I need alone time to recharge.

I prefer being alone in complete silence. The only noise is my thoughts. Either that or outside in the woods surrounded by many living creatures, just not near people.

alone and yes.

I prefer to be alone. I like to listen to music, read, or maybe just do nothing but stare at the wall. Pot also makes me relax and feel better.

Alone and silent…no music.

I prefer to be alone when upset or stressed. Too often, being around other people just causes more stress as many of them seem to unintentionally rely on me for reassurance, etc and it just feels like yet another responsibility or pressure, which isn’t what I need when I’m already stressed.