The Power of Solitude

Being alone in a connected world

When was the last time you were alone? Not “away from other people” alone, but more like “without constant intrusion of other people’s minds into yours” alone. In other words, I’m not talking about loneliness, I’m talking about solitude.

I feel like the concept of solitude is misunderstood in modern society. Sometimes, being alone with yourself is even frowned upon. However, that wasn’t always the case. For the vast majority of human history, people weren’t always connected with each other, which provided a balance of alone time and social time.

The modern world is overly dependent on constant distractions and connection, depriving people of being alone. Even if you’re not in the immediate presence of other people, you often distract yourself with music, watching movies, reading, browsing the internet, etc. I’d argue, that this doesn’t count as true solitude, for you’re never alone — someone else’s mind is dripping into yours.

As Blaise Pascal once quipped, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone”. In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of solitude and how it can help individuals to improve their well-being.

The world is constantly moving fast, this noise of life around us drowns our thoughts and feelings. One of the ways to battle this is to slow down and think. Without intrusions, without distractions — just think.

Taking the time to filter out the noise and focus on your intentions can clarify the road ahead. Thinking about why your intentions are important to you weeds out the unnecessary distractions on which we’re usually wasting so much time.

When we are alone, we have the space and time to explore our thoughts and feelings. This introspection can help improve emotional regulation and increase self-awareness. By understanding ourselves better, we can learn to make better decisions, form healthier relationships, and live more fulfilling lives. After all, the slow way is the fast way.

Also, solitude can improve mental health by reducing stress and anxiety. Breaking away from the constant stimulation of the outside world recharges you and reduces the feeling of burnout.

The internet has changed the world in general, and people’s perception of reality in specifics. Constantly seeing examples of exceptionality online, and being bombarded with taglines and news cultivates anxiety. It’s incredibly helpful to be able to disconnect from the net and relish in the silence.

Few things scare artists more than a blank canvas or a blank page. You can stare at the white void for hours, almost feeling its mockery, and yet get nowhere. But if throwing yourself at the paper wall doesn’t help, maybe you could try a different approach?

Let the ideas brew. Stepping away from the “studio” and going for a lone walk can be incredibly beneficial. After all, our brains don’t quite function like our muscles — they don’t really need to rest, only to change function and do something else.

Even though being alone with our thoughts stimulates new ideas and enhances problem-solving skills, it’s not a silver bullet. Sometimes you just can’t come up with anything worthy of putting down on a page. In this case, try just starting, just doing anything.

It may seem counterintuitive, but solitude improves our relationships with others. Being comfortable with being alone can make people less dependent on others for validation. If you’re content with yourself and fine with having to spend some time in your mind without external distractions, then does it really matter what others think?

Some people may overreact to you trying to spend more time alone — it’s totally fine. This could serve as a filter, indicating which relationships are really good for you. To quote Mark Manson:

Just to be clear, I’m not advocating for cutting all the social connections and living as a hermit outside of civilization — quite the contrary. Solitude is not about distancing yourself from others, it’s about getting close to yourself.

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