Much of the depression and angst people face comes from one source: the inability to sit in the solitude of one\u2019s own thoughts.<\/p>\n
A few days ago, I had the privilege of doing nothing. Not something relaxing or unproductive, but nothing. I sat in a chair and just thought. At first it was uncomfortable, I felt I needed to be doing something, even if it was meaningless and distracting. But after close to an hour of nothingness, I started to think clearly and appreciate things in a new way.<\/p>\n
Complete solitude, doing nothing, can\u2019t be described as boring. Boredom requires an activity. Watching paint dry is an activity, if only defined by it\u2019s complete lack of interesting qualities. Solitude, for most people, can be described only as terrifying or satisfying, with more people stuck with the former.<\/p>\n
Fear of solitude cripples your activity in other areas of life. If you can\u2019t stand being alone or without activity, you\u2019ll seek anything to fill that void, even if it isn\u2019t healthy. If you\u2019re hungry, you\u2019ll buy groceries you don\u2019t need and eat junk you don\u2019t want. Similarly, if you can\u2019t stand solitude, you\u2019ll fill your life with meaningless relationships and activities. Often at the cost of something truly great.<\/p>\n
Being unable to withstand solitude is like being unable to withstand poverty. Many of the experiences in life are only accessible if you\u2019re willing to risk, or go without, a certain level of income. If you require $70,000 per year to be happy, you\u2019ve just eliminated a wide range of possibilities. If you require constant companionship and activity, you\u2019ll restrict yourself from new ideas, people or goals which require some solitude.<\/p>\n
There are many goals that require some degree of solitude before they can start. It\u2019s only after sitting alone with your thoughts for a few hours that you start to peel away some of the incorrect thinking that has been holding you back. If you don\u2019t tolerate your naked thinking, you\u2019ll never stumble on these new inspirations.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve done some form of meditation on and off for the last five years. Although many practitioners have elaborate rituals for meditating, I believe the real value is the absence of activity and allowing for unstructured, undistracted thought.<\/p>\n
Depending on the state of mind you have when you enter, the first 15-30 minutes can be the incredibly difficult. The desire to get up and do something can be overwhelming. However, often after getting through this period, you start getting great ideas. Insights into previously intractable problems suddenly appear and difficult situations become simple.<\/p>\n
Becoming comfortable with solitude doesn\u2019t mean you need to isolate yourself into the mountains and become a hermit. It just means giving yourself a chance to be without people or activity for a few hours.<\/p>\n
This can be difficult in a world crowded with people and activity. I like Brian Tracy\u2019s suggestion to sit alone in your car. A small cubicle of isolated space, this can be a good strategy if you\u2019re surrounded by people both at work and home.<\/p>\n
When in complete solitude, you can honestly say you are content and at peace, you have an incredible power you take with you to every other aspect of life. You leave behind the taint of a person who craves something beyond just desiring it. Without this holding you back, you can approach each situation from strength, instead of desperation.<\/p>\n
The person who enjoys solitude doesn\u2019t need to remain in a relationship that isn\u2019t satisfying. The person who enjoys solitude doesn\u2019t need to spend time on a boring activity. The people who enjoy solitude don\u2019t need to fill their lives with distractions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Much of the depression and angst people face comes from one source: the inability to sit in the solitude of one\u2019s own thoughts. A few days ago, I had the privilege of doing nothing. Not something relaxing or unproductive, but nothing. I sat in a chair and just thought. At first it was uncomfortable, I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[656,681],"tags":[60,308,309,62,307,310],"class_list":{"0":"post-902","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-life-philosophy","7":"category-nc-mindset","8":"tag-independence","9":"tag-lonliness","10":"tag-meditation","11":"tag-social-independence","12":"tag-solitude","13":"tag-zen","14":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n