How Solitude Can Boost Your Mental Health

Have you ever craved an escape from all the nuttiness of life?

You might be one of the rare folks who have everything put together, but we sometimes wish for some downtime for the rest of us. Also known as "alone time." And for the brave ones, we just call it solitude.

You don't need to escape to a far-away land.

Nah.

Solitude can sometimes be found in the busiest, most crowded places.

Solitude often means shutting down and shutting out the lunacy that life brings so we can breathe and regroup.

Think of solitude like a see-saw. On one side, privacy that's isolating and withdrawn from people, places, and activities you enjoy can be detrimental. On the other side, purposefully withdrawing from life's chaos and the influences of others can be incredibly important. Finding just enough solitude without creating harmful isolation is a good balance.

While too much of the wrong type of solitude can negatively impact your psyche, healthy bouts of alone time can boost your mental health.

Learning to be alone is a skill

Learning to be alone, and enjoying it, is an integral part of life.

As a child, learning to play alone boosts cognition, problem-solving skills, and concentration. Being alone stimulates creativity and normalizes independence. And sometimes, being alone is just what we need for a mental reset.

And yet, adolescents are often criticized for spending time alone.

No one wants to be labeled a loner as a kid. Developmentally, being alone can be a challenge during middle school and high school when conformity, hive mindset, and fitting in are primary aspects of socialization. However, solitude can help children develop and internalize their own personal preferences outside of the influences of peers and family, which allows them to make better personal decisions and pursue personal interests.

As an adult, solitude is mandatory to sort through stress, decompress, process issues, and more.

In short, solitude is fundamental to avoiding burnout and depression and reviving a tired mind and body.

Society devalues solitude

The fast-paced world devalues solitude and seeks to fill all spaces with noise.

Driving alone in the car includes blasting your Apple playlist. Running or exercising requires headphones with music. Work and home life also have background noise of all kinds when you really think about it.

Being alone with one's thoughts is more uncommon than ever, but it could be some of the most important me-time you can have.

You can't confront what you won't acknowledge

If you never get still enough to sort through your thoughts, you never truly know what's going on in your mind.

I'd read that again if I were you.

You can't change what you aren't aware of.

Being alone makes room for facing significant issues and figuring things out without distractions. A lot of money can be saved on therapy by finding quality solitude. That solo time might be just what your brain needs at just the right time.

Here are some great ways to find more solitude and boost your mental health.

Get up early- Get up early and enjoy time to yourself before the bustle of a busy day.

Take a tech-free walk- Routinely walk, hike, or bike without technology and submerge yourself in the sounds of nature or your own thoughts.

Rent a room- Take a me-day and rent a VRBO or hotel room for some time for yourself. Leave the television off, enjoy a leisurely bath and meal, and enjoy your own company.

Solitude boosts your mental health by helping refresh your mind and normalizing being alone. Build up bouts of solitude over time until you begin to crave it and fully appreciate the benefits.

The final word

Sad but true, our fast-paced world devalues solitude and seeks to fill all spaces with noise.

Noise we can certainly do without.

While being alone with one's thoughts is more uncommon than ever, it could be some of the most important me-time you can have.

If you never get still enough to sort through your thoughts, you never truly know what's going on.

Solitude can be a great thing. Join my email list with 1,000's of others who love some "alone time" and for more freelancing insights.