Went traveling to 'find myself' - actually just learned I'm fine with being alone

I cringe writing this because it sounds like every cliché travel memoir, but solo travel genuinely changed how I see myself.

I spent six weeks travelling solo through Southeast Asia, expecting some profound revelation about my life purpose. That didn't happen. I didn't discover a hidden passion or completely reinvent myself.

What I did learn: I'm a better company for myself than I thought. I can navigate foreign cities without anxiety. I can eat dinner alone without feeling self-conscious. I can make decisions without consensus or compromise. I can sit with discomfort and figure things out.

The transformation wasn't dramatic. I came home as the same person, just more confident in my ability to handle things independently. I stopped needing constant validation from others. I got comfortable with my own thoughts during long bus rides instead of constantly distracting myself.

Solo travel forces you to confront yourself without the usual buffers of routine, friends, and familiar surroundings. Sometimes that's uncomfortable. Sometimes it's clarifying.

Did solo travel change you in unexpected ways, or is the "finding yourself" thing overblown?