to be perfectly happy in my own company?

[Stinklebell]

because apparently it's "weird"

I'm not madly extrovert, not a hermit either, but I am perfectly happy pottering around by myself.

I work part time from home, and I've just had a very nice couple of hours with Sky+ and my ironing pile

DH is the opposite, loves company, always organising get togethers and nights out - even stuff like a Saturday night takeaway turns into a mad social gathering and sometimes I just find it a bit too much.

My DH went away with our kids a couple of weeks ago, and a friend was all "oh, you can't stay home on your own, I'll be over Friday with some wine, we'll go shopping Saturday then we'll go out Saturday night". It was lovely of her, but she didn't quite get that actually, I am just fine tootling around alone. I like mooching around the shops on my own, I like chilling out with a film or something on my own. I don't want to stand outside the school gates for an hour every morning chatting, or go somewhere for coffee or meet up for lunch every day

I don't mind friends over, I don't mind meeting friends for a coffee, I just don't want to do it all the time. I like my own space, I like my own company, I'm not bored or lonely, I just don't want to be surrounded by people all the time.

It's not unreasonable, right?

I'm the same, YANBU. I find small talk excruciating and am quite happy, in my own little bubble. I've always been the same. I've tried to go along with being more sociable as we live in this age where how many Facebook friends you have is a measure if how much you count, as a person.

I'm fine as I am, thanks!

I have a three lifelong female friends. I have DH and Ds and some family. I have my cat. (love my cat!) That's it.

I think you do have to be careful not to be too selfish with your time though and make time for friends and family

Oh, I do make time for my friends and family, I am happy to have friends and family round and go out, I just don't want to do it all the time.

This morning, I dropped DD at school, and just wanted to go home, but a whole group of friends were "oh, coffee at X's house, half an hour?". They all thought I was mad when I said thanks, but no thanks

Then again this afternoon, another friend rang and did I want to meet up for a coffee before the school run - I was actually enjoying my date with Inspector Barnaby and my ironing pile - and she now thinks I'm depressed

I think today, the kids were back at school after a week of chaos of half term and I needed to mooch around and recharge a bit.

I also hate being organised, I don't like committing to anything and I'm crap at small talk. I'm just anti social

Oh God, I LOVE my own company! Like many of you on here, I DO have friends not many though and DO like spending time with them sometimes but time alone is blissful when you're in the mood.

Cinema on my own in the afternoon, something obscure or embarrassing like Thor for the second time and no one trying to talk to me while it's on or turning to me and laughing and looking for a reaction every time there's a funny bit.

A really nice coffee in a cafe, gazing out the window or reading.

Pottering at home and listening to a Radio 4 thing about eighteenth-century cooking, or female Senegalese poets, or something.

A walk in the park or the marshes where I can walk as fast as I like without anyone to have to make small talk with.

All heavenly.

YANBU.

Me too. I enjoy being able to do what I want. Not have to be sociable.

I love my own company too.

Im away with some friends for a hen night in April and need to fly down to meet them. Im eagerly anticipating the solo trip, hours wait at the airport, hours flight, coach transfer. Peace. Just me and my kindle.

I enjoy my own company too. Not that I dislike socialising, but I relish time alone.

Im exactly the same. Nought wring with it.

Yanbu, as much as I love nights out and have amazing friends I have to, really have to, live alone. I love my company! The people that think I am weird? Good way of weeding out the wankers in my life!

It's not weird at all, I'm exactly the same. What's weird is people who can't be on their own for even an hour and make constant demands on their friends, housemates and partners - I lived with someone like this once and it was like having a dog with acute separation anxiety. Exhausting and unhealthy.

Same here! Like socialising but need plenty of time on my own to balance it. Some of my friends just don't get it. I get very stressed out when they just won't take no for an answer.

YANBU,
I'm very happy on my own, I don't get grown women who need company to do things like clothes shopping or people who need friends round all the time.

Coffee and a chat is great, but I don't want company all the time.

DSIS moved back home when her flat mate married, she hated living on her own. She'd love to go to the states, she could get in a plane tomorrow, but she won't. She wants a mate or BF to go with. I just don't get it!

I'm definitely the same - I need time on my own to mentally recharge, desperately need it in fact. I do like to talk to people, and once I get started I often can't stop so I'm perfectly sociable if needs be, but I need the opposite too, time on my own, or I get extremely irritable and stressed no matter how hard I try to contain it!

I find house guests, especially those staying overnight, extremely distressing, no matter how much I like them normally, as I need that personal space to "recharge" each day. I feel so rude limiting the amount of time in-laws etc can stay but the alternative is probably me eventually flipping out from lack of privacy and non-stop chatter, and damaging our relationship forever which is the very last thing I want.

Telling them rather awkwardly to stay a bit less time than they'd prefer is less damaging in the long run although no doubt they think I don't like them which is so not true But I don't think they understand as MIL especially thrives on chatter.

I am sure I read somewhere that extroverts get their energy from interacting with others, and introverts get their energy from time alone. I'm definitely an introvert if that's the case! DH is the same, which is why we get along so well.

I don't think it's the least bit weird. I love my own company. . I love pottering about listening to the radio.

I love my friends too but I don't want to see them all the time.

Me too. Luckily DH is the same so we both understand if the other says that they need some time alone.

I put it down to being an only child brought up in the middle of no where.

Same, its my dirty little secret!im really sociable and chatty when im out, always happy etc but i looove a nice 3 hours to myself, scooting online, reading a magazine page to page, little lunch, stroke the cat... yes please!

YA definitely NBU. I love being on my own. I relish time to read, knit or listen to the radio without constant 'Mum, where's my...', 'Henrietta, could you just...'

I have a real problem in that DH, while not being at all sociable, does not like being alone. I am his default company now that the kids are not around so much. He cannot understand why I like being on my own because he doesn't.

Nor does he do quiet. He is either wittering on talking or the television is on. It is very annoying.

I get silently enraged if I bumped into somebody I know whilst I'm out with the dog. And I totally agree with this - sometimes being out with the dog is the only time alone that I get.

DH doing shift work and me doing rehearsals a couple of nights a week is definitely one of the things that keeps us happy and sane. We both like being on our own, me to faff about on MN, phone people, potter about, eat biscuits and watch gossip girl on netflix. He likes to read railway magazines and listen to Palestrina whilst drinking red wine. I get a bit twitchy when we are both around all the time, I'm not used to it!

Interesting- I am like this too- have absolutely no problem mooching on my own, but so many people are baffled by it and are always asking- 'aren't you bored/ lonely/ What do you dooo?'.

I'm an only child - I wonder if it's an only child thing that we're happy to entertain ourselves?

I enjoy my own company, always have. DH is fairly similar. I think people at work think I'm a bit odd but hey ho. I do have friends and love their company too!

You are so not being unreasonable.

I love my own space and my own company!!
I could quite happily hide myself away from the world for weeks

Before meeting my DH I lived alone for 18 months and I loved it - oh the peace and quiet was delicious!!!!

Thankfully my DH is quite a sporting social butterfly so whilst he's out doing all his sports stuff I still get my 'fix' of alone time!! He's recently been abroad for 8 days and although I missed him, I really enjoyed it being just me at home

He's back now, there's mess everywhere, I'm fed up of there being football on the TV and I'm already missing the peace

It is the hardest thing about being married and having a family imo.
DH is exact opposite, like his Dad, hates being on his own.
I didn't even realise that I was like this until my friend said that she was jealous of my ability to just be by myself, I thought everyone needed space.

But i looove a nice 3 hours to myself, scooting online, reading a magazine page to page, little lunch, stroke the cat... yes please!

Where I come from the term 'stroke the cat' is used as a jokey way of implying masturbation!!

I'm perfectly happy on my own. I have a very face-to-face job so some quiet time is essential to balance that.

When do people read, listen to the radio, potter about, organise their knickers, etc if they are always socialising?

Fortunately DH has hermit-like tendencies, we can sit together on the sofa and read our own books, not talking to each other for hours.