It’s much more common than you think to not feel like celebrating your birthday or being around people. Although the date is socially associated with cake, toast and popularity in networks, many people prefer to spend the day in silence and without plans. Of the psychologythis choice may depend on how each person processes their own emotionsthe passage of time, one’s own image and the weight of external expectations.
Clinical psychologist Jamie Zuckerman, an anxiety and emotional health specialist, talks about the so-called “birthday blues”: a mix of discomfort, fear or sensitivity that occurs around the celebration. In this context, choosing to be alone serves to muffle the noise, reduce stimuli, and protect emotional equilibrium from the pressure to “party” and appear happy no matter what.
Birthdays usually activate a kind of inner balance: what happened in the last year, what has changed, which goals have been achieved and which are still outstanding. Psychologist and popularizer Susan Cain, author of “Quiet” and a reference in studies of introversion, recalls that the most introspective people need quiet spaces to process important moments. For them, spending the day alone is not a social rejection, but a natural way to recharge their batteries.
There is also an emotional self-care component. Those who remember conflicting, disappointing or emotionally charged birthdays often prefer to go through the date alone to avoid new frustrations or tensions with the environment. It’s not always just about sadness, it can be a conscious decision to spend the day in a more personal, controlled and less exposed way.
Behind the preference to be alone there can be several reasons that come together. Some of the reasons are:
birthday party. PHOTO:ISTOCK
For many people, a birthday is not experienced as a party, but rather as a time out. It is a date that invites you to slow down, look within and examine your own direction. This way of dealing with the day is more common among thoughtful people or people with high emotional sensitivity who feel better in quiet environments than in crowded meetings.
Psychology shows that preferring to be alone on your birthday is not in itself a sign of a psychological problem. It’s a personal way to experience a date full of symbolism. What is synonymous with celebration for some is synonymous with introspection for others. And both lifestyles are equally valid as long as they address what the person truly needs.
For everyone, a birthday remains an intimate experience, no matter what it looks like on the outside. Therefore, choosing to spend the day alone can be a healthy choice and in line with each individual’s own emotions.
According to experts, the key is to respect the way each individual wants to live these dates: there are those who want to celebrate, those who prefer a smaller plan and those who feel better on a calm and quiet day. They are all great ways to mark the passage of time and pay tribute to another year in life.
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