During my early 20s, there was a particular summer when my dad sent me to our family's remote ranch, far from civilization, in the middle of Chihuahua’s desert, for a week. I had to work installing new fences or fixing broken ones, feeding cows, chickens, and horses, and carrying out other ranch work.

I disliked the experience. Not because I didn’t like going to that ranch, but because I was alone. No friends, no family, no one. During that stage of my life, I preferred being in the ‘social scene,’ and I didn’t want to miss out on anything my friends were doing.

Just a few days after arriving, I remember crying and feeling desperate to go back to the city. At that young age, I didn’t appreciate the value of spending some time alone. I didn’t appreciate nature as much as I do now. I didn’t appreciate reflecting on my thoughts. I didn’t appreciate doing hard physical work with my bare hands.

Now, if I were thrown into the desert for a week, I would ask to stay there for longer. I love spending time in nature, reflecting, observing, contemplating, thinking, enjoying the serenity of the landscape, and just being present.

Over the years, I developed a newfound appreciation for spending time alone. Through various painful experiences that life threw at me, I’ve had to spend a significant amount of time by myself. And it was during these times that I have grown the most.

I guess it happens to all of us. The older we get, and the more we experience, the more time we spend by ourselves, and the more we learn to enjoy it.

And it is a good thing. As Yogi Ramacharaka points out, “this isolation is probably just what you need in order to make you self-reliant and to cure you of that desire to lean upon some other soul. You have these lessons to learn—and many others—and the way that seems hardest for you to travel is very often the one laid out for you, in order that you may learn the needed lesson well and ‘for good.’”

So don’t be afraid to spend time alone. It may be exactly what you need. It is only during this time that you get the chance to truly get to know yourself and the mysteries of life. Be comfortable with your thoughts and emotions. Contemplation, self-reflection and self-examination are essential for your personal growth.