The Beauty Of Solitude
In this day and age, we are taught from being a child that we need to go to school, get good grades, find a good job that pays well, and buy a nice house in the best neighbourhood. It’s a lot of pressure, isn’t it?
We convince ourselves that “we need to be doing this” or “we need to be doing that.” We spend our entire lives filling up our schedules and writing to-do lists, so much that the “things we need to do next” just never seem to end.
We’re always reaching for the next opportunity and striving for the next goal, and very often this pressure and stress can have a serious impact on our health. If you feel overwhelmed, it’s time to dial back and recentre yourself. It’s so important to find time in our daily lives to just sit and focus on the present moment. Many people find peace and relaxation in solitude.
Solitude and Mediation
So what is solitude? The word itself literally means “to be alone,” but there’s a lot more to it than just being by one’s self. Solitude links very closely with the art of meditation, and combining the two can be so beneficial to your health. Take a few minutes each day to sit or lay by yourself (whichever is more comfortable) and breathe deeply over and over again. Visualize yourself gradually emptying your mind of any distracting worries, fears and general thoughts. Focus on the present moment – don’t think about the past, whether that “past” is yesterday or five years ago. Don’t think about what you need to do next or where you want to “be” in a few months’ time. Just look around you, and realize the beauty of the moment you’re currently in.
The Power of Alone Time
When you’re constantly surrounded by people, whether that’s at work or at home, you often don’t have any space to think, process these thoughts, and just be by yourself. This can be very unhealthy and lead to lots of stress, even if you love the people you’re surrounded by! So it’s so important and beneficial to just have some alone time every day. If you live by yourself or work from home, fantastic – but if you’ve always got a full house, then run yourself a bath and just escape from the chaos for a few moments. Go for a walk, a run, anything just to allow yourself to think, breathe, and enjoy your own company.
Solitude and meditation are very beautiful things. They bring calm, peace, comfort and tranquillity in this modern, fast-paced world that we live in. Many people also find therapy to be a beneficial way to destress and find balance in life, so contact Ottawa Counselling Services to learn more.