Love runs wild in our family. We share love with just about everyone and everything. We’ve been known to just randomly say “Hey, I love you!” and mean it 100% to whoever we happen to be talking to.
Anxiety also runs wild in our family. Well, at least for my daughter and I. We both have anxiety, we both get frustrated when we’re overwhelmed, and we work together to find ways to cope. As much as we share our love with everyone and everything, sometimes our minds need to take a time out to get the anxiety under control.
One thing we know is that sometimes we just need to be alone. That’s not always ideal when you have friends who want to do things with you, family you want to hang out with, or need some love and support of your own.
Love Me Alone
To help explain this to friends and family my daughter came up with a fantastic sentence to use. “Love me alone.” We use it when we’re too overwhelmed to say much else, but it gets the message across that I still love you but I need some alone time now.
The best way for this to work is to let those who are closest to us know what this saying means. So far, everyone in our circles have been welcoming of this phrase and some have started using it as well.
It works great in handling our emotions when anxiety is creeping up on us, however it also works for anyone who is stressed, overwhelmed, or just wants to have a little bit of time alone to relax and unwind.
We follow up these “love me alone” moments with conversation after the fact. We talk about it, what was going on, why we needed some alone time, then we make up for it with some fun activities, jokes, or just quality time.
Love isn’t something that requires us to be present with each other 100% of the time. It’s something we share and feel even when we’re not together. It’s also not something we feel in the same way. You can love someone and be angry with them. You can express your love solemnly or joyfully. You might feel great love and sadness at the same time, or you may be loving something while being filled with cheer.
Sometimes we need to take some time and love on ourselves. Love me alone helps us communicate the love we have for others while acknowledging it’s time for a little me time for a self love recharge.
How do you let people know you need some alone time without lashing out at them (if emotions are high?). I’d love to hear your coping techniques in the comments below.
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