Guest contribution by Lalitha
Aristotle, the famous Greek philosopher once said, “Whosoever is delighted in solitude is either a wild beast or a god.” And I couldn’t agree more with this mindful self-reflection.
Vulnerability in Isolation
To be isolated with oneself can seem very lonely and depressing to many of us. The thoughts can be intrusive, and the feelings can be overwhelming. It can also be very hard to be aligned with ourselves. But there is something very powerful about being alone. Being alone compels you to feel uncomfortable. You feel vulnerable, and it takes a huge amount of courage to acknowledge that vulnerability in the first place.
Many a times, we try so much to distract ourselves with different mediums around us. And in today’s modern world the distraction comes at ultimate ease to any of us. We are more distracted than in any other times in history. There is so much buzzing around us, within us, that it seems almost impossible to sit with that chaos and feel good. To pause, seems like we are being worthless. The constant hustle bustle of life makes us chase productivity every day. To have to do something every day puts us in a loop of constantly doing something, making us forget that we are human “beings” primarily.
Solitude by definition: Finding strength in Mindfulness
To be with oneself and not feel lonely is what means solitude by definition. To feel the solitude, one has to mainly feel the love for oneself. Once we fall in love with our own self, we can slowly start enjoying our own company and being with ourselves would feel the best. To love oneself, we need to accept ourselves; for who we are, only we can know. To let the thoughts run, to let the feelings flow and to feel the highs and lows can help us feel relieved.
The acceptance for self can seem difficult because of the societal norms and conditionings we have been into. To unlearn the conditioning can feel liberating in all ways. Once we realize who we are, it becomes very easy to work with the hard feelings or thoughts. A self-reflection on a daily basis can help immensely improve ourselves. To self-reflect, we need to be aware of our actions and words. To be aware, we need to be in the NOW.
The present moment feels very neutral and easy, and practising mindfulness activities can help us be in the present moment many times a day. So, basically being aware of us, accepting ourselves and loving ourselves are the secrets behind enjoying solitude. Initially it all seemed very difficult for me to do any of these. It is often easy said than done. But once I took the very first step and started practising habitually, it felt very good from within. I felt like getting connected to myself more often and was more involved and looking forward to “being” me and “knowing” me.
I would like to share something very profound here with my experience of being in solitude.
Beauty of discovering me
Being in solitude opens the gates to my own raw, unfiltered, unmasked self. I get to see me without judgements and opinions. I surprise myself the most, with evolving perceptions and mindset. I understand a part of me is always available for me, when I am dealing with big emotions. I have that hidden reservoir within me, guiding me to achieve everything I desire. This hidden reservoir can only be accessed when I feel aligned with own self.
When I take enough time for myself either by doing meditation or by journaling, I get the access to my inner self. Often times, going for a walk helps the most. Being with nature and not doing anything, seeing the vastness around me, seeing the beauty in life around me, taking deep breaths, keep me anchored. And on days when I just cannot do any of these, I take a cup of my favourite tea and sip it in silence.
This tea ritual helps me find my peace and become mindful easily. Solitude is where we befriend ourselves, and to love and befriend ourselves is essential as we would be living with ourselves most of our life than with anyone else!
A small poem on “In my solitude…”
In my solitude, I dance to my own rhythm merrily.
In my solitude, I sing my own songs blithely.
In my solitude, I understand my desires clearly.
In my solitude, I link with my inner child gladly.
In my solitude, I sway with the nature joyfully.
In my solitude, I revere the silence within me happily.
In my solitude, I see the world a little different surprisingly.
In my solitude, I connect to the higher synergy willingly.
In my solitude, I reverberate my energy pleasantly.
In my solitude, I nourish my own self gleefully.
In my solitude, I find my own self boldly!
I am Lalitha, a freshly minted graduate in Germany. My newfound love is writing these days. I love reading books and I am very passionate about cooking and baking. Music and coffee help me navigate tough days. I like hiking and cycling. I live in Aachen and I am truly in love with my life.
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