Healing loneliness

When you hear the word "loneliness", do you flinch with horror and sadness, imagining an unimportant person who is forgotten by all? If so, use the word "solitude" instead. It sounds much better, don’t you think?

Why do you need time alone with yourself?

• Loneliness can be healing, restorative, and vital.
  By being alone with ourselves, we have a chance to recuperate. When attention and resources are not directed outward to maintain external contacts, they instead focus inward, providing you with rest and relaxation.

• While alone, our brains shift.
  A few minutes of solitude can provide a great opportunity to switch from one task to another. A slight "head clearing" will enrich you with fresh new ideas, both for solving any problems that are in front of you and encouraging creative insights.

• The need for silence.
  Quite often, some of the most precious moments in our modern life are moments of silence. We are used to constantly hearing something: the muttering of TVs, social media alerts, the noise of cars, conversations of people nearby, and so on. How can you hear the quiet voice of your soul if even the birdsong outside your window has all but disappeared in the surrounding noise? Silence is important to relieve the brain and give rest to the ears. It is quite difficult to maintain silence surrounded by people. But in the company of just yourself — it’s much easier.

The right to loneliness

“Why do you want to be alone? But what about me — don't you love me?"

If your loved ones are offended, speak directly and honestly with them and explain what’s going on. Tell them why solitude is important to you and explain how many benefits you get from it. This will calm everyone involved in the situation: you will comfortably reserve the right to be alone, and your loved ones will leave you alone without worrying.

To sum up

Being alone, we can look deeper into the essence of our thoughts and ourselves. Solitude provides a resource to reflect on the important things without distraction, to notice correlations that previously eluded us. And in general, to truly feel your depth — which is easy to lose in the whirlwind of daily events and communications.

Don't be afraid to be alone with yourself; remember, it can be a cozy and very enjoyable experience.