How to Balance Family Time and Alone Time?

Talk to your family. As we've already said, everyone needs alone time. But different people need different amount of this time. For example, introverts generally need more time to decompress than extroverts. If you're an introvert and most of your family are extroverts, they might not realize that you have different needs and require more alone time. So talk to them. Tell them that you love them very much and enjoy spending time with them, but you still need time to yourself.

Schedule. A lot of people lack alone time because they don't schedule it like they schedule other activities. They think that they will enjoy solitude once they're done with everything they've planned, but in the end they discover that there is no time left. If you desperately need alone time, schedule it. An evening a week – a standing date with yourself. A day a month. Treat this just as seriously as you treat other commitments.

Spend time alone, yet together. You can share the same space with your family and still be doing your own thing. Make a tradition of spending evenings in your living room reading or working on your hobbies. The presence of other family members is comforting and you don't have to talk to feel it.

Share responsibilities. Maybe the reason you need alone time is that you have more responsibilities than the rest of your family. Although that's not always the case, we recommend that you take a look at the division of household chores in your family. If you find the balance in home responsibilities, you'll be able to find alone time as well.

Don't get distracted. So, you finally have an evening all you yourself and the first thing you do is log into your Facebook account. Stop it! Social media won't help you relax and decompress. We strongly recommend that you spend at least part of your alone time unplugged, it will be really good for you.

Don't feel guilty. Wanting some time to yourself doesn't make you a bad person who neglects their family. It just makes you human. Don't blame yourself and don't let your family guilt trip you.

Don't make your family feel guilty. While trying to find some alone time, don't forget about your family. They shouldn't feel guilty for wanting to spend more time with you. Your absolutely need to spend time with your spouse (just the two of you), with your child or children, and together is a family.