Embracing Solitude
Kaley Martin | Editor
For some people, the scariest thing you can do is be alone. For others, they find contentment in their own solitude.
When I say “alone”, I don’t mean walking home late at night by yourself or being lost in a group of people. I mean sitting with yourself without any distractions. Letting your thoughts run wild without something or someone to keep them in order.
I think this is the difference between being alone and feeling lonely. Understanding the difference is something I still struggle with today.
Sometimes when I’ve wasted the day in bed, I find myself upset because I regret the way I spent my time. This emotion can easily start a battle in my mind where I can’t understand why no one wants to hang out with me. A thought process like this is where loneliness lives and thrives.
In order to protect yourself from this ongoing war inside your head, you must find your own passions and hobbies. Try new things until you discover something that you love. Something that is yours that no one can take away from you. This could be reading, or painting, or boxing, or cooking. The sky is the limit.
If you are interested in something, don’t wait for someone else to join you. Do it alone. This is easier said than done but in the end, you’ll be happy you did it. Take yourself on solo dates. Try that new restaurant. Visit that bookstore. We miss so many opportunities waiting for other things and other people because we’re scared to do it alone.
Be confident in yourself. Invest time in yourself to figure out who you really are. Loneliness cannot fester in a peaceful mind. It cannot multiply in a happy soul. When you’re confident with who you are, the absence of someone or something won’t have an effect on you.
Next time you feel the loneliness creeping in, find something that makes you feel good. Be so securely rooted in yourself that you’re comfortable with being alone.
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