The Importance of Solitude

The digital age is the age of instant mass global communication. Information is available 24 hours a day, from what’s happening next door to events occurring in the furthest corners of the world, reported diligently on TV, radio, over the Internet, even to our cell phones and PDAs.

News is often presenting in abbreviated form because people have less time to read lengthy accounts. Employees are working longer hours for the same, or less, salaries, the majority of family require two incomes to make ends meet and when not working or cleaning house, children and spouses need attention.

How many times have you heard someone say, “I just need some time to think!”

It could be argued that the biggest casualty in modern society is solitude; that time we reserve to be alone with our thoughts; our personal alone time where we can take a mental breath and just contemplate.

The desire for solitude sometimes gets a bad rap as being anti-social behavior but the truth is quite the opposite. Giving oneself a brief mental and emotional “vacation,” even if just for fifteen minutes a day, not only recharges us but can give us better perspective on events happening in our life and make us more accessible and receptive to those around us. Having time to ponder allows us to organize our thoughts and better plan our day and week.

Solitude also offers the freedom to *not* think of anything and to just clear our minds of the clutter that builds up as we juggle busy daily lives.

Finding solitude may be challenging, especially if you have young children or a busy job. But in the same way we make time to eat or exercise or check our email, we can make solitude part of our daily schedule. The easiest way is to combine it with another activity. For example, get up fifteen minutes early and take a morning stroll by yourself or with your dog. If the weather permits, go outside to drink your morning cup of coffee, making it clear you don’t want to be interrupted.

At work, instead of eating lunch at your desk or in the coffee room, go outside and keep yourself company. When you get home instead of rushing into the house, sit quietly in your car and decompress. Or take a leisurely walk around the block. Dinner can always wait 10 or fifteen minutes. Lock the bathroom door and take a bubble bath.

Once solitude becomes part of your daily or weekly routine, you’ll feel less harried and more focused, which contribute to everyone’s wellness.