Let me tell you this: if you meet a loner…
…no matter what they tell you, it’s not because they enjoy solitude. It’s because they have tried to blend into the world before, and people continue to disappoint them. ― Jodi Picoult, My Sister’s Keeper
Solitude doesn’t entail loneliness, despite first-year mentality
It is Monday afternoon. I sit with my book beneath an enormous oak tree on the lawn outside of Peirce, the early October breeze rustling each page as I annotate furiously. Around me, bursts of laughter and frantic conversation mix with the chimes of the 4 p.m. bells ringing out across Middle Path. It is…
Ways to Meditate off the Cushion
The idea of stepping away from my cushion and finding meditative stillness in the motion of the world appealed to me, and so I started paying attention. Here are some of the unlikely ways I find meditation away from the cushion: Making the best peppermint tea in the best mug and sitting on the front…
Declutter Your Mind
Much like its physical counterpart, mental clutter causes us to feel overwhelmed. It inhibits our ability to focus on the things that matter. When your mind is busy, thinking clearly can be a challenge. When you declutter your mind you have room to think, room to consider your options without distraction. You’ll also find that…
How to Decide What to Do With Your Life
With the rise of personal development and a generation of people who want more meaning from life, topics like passion and purpose permeate our thinking. The question burns in your mind — you want to figure out what to do with your life. You have tons of options–maybe even too many. You want to make a decision,…
How to be alone: the difference between loneliness and solitude
We use the two interchangeably because we’ve been conditioned to think of them as the same state; someone who spends time alone must, naturally, be lonely. But that’s not the case. Loneliness is being alone — and not liking it. It’s a feeling. Solitude is being alone — and content. It’s a choice. This brings us to an interesting paradox: if…
Ten Tweaks To Your Morning Routine That Will Transform Your Entire Day
Researchers at the University of Nottingham recently published findings from their exploration of 83 separate studies on energy and self-control. What they found will change the way you start your day. The researchers found that self-control and energy are not only intricately linked but also finite, daily resources that tire much like a muscle. Even…
I am too alone in the world, …
…and yet not alone enough to make every moment holy. I am too tiny in this world, and not tiny enough just to lie before you like a thing, shrewd and secretive. I want my own will, and I want simply to be with my will, as it goes toward action; and in those quiet,…
Cherish your solitude ― Eve Ensler
Take trains by yourself to places you have never been. Sleep out alone under the stars. Learn how to drive a stick shift. Go so far away that you stop being afraid of not coming back. Say no when you don’t want to do something. Say yes if your instincts are strong, even if everyone…
From that time on, the world was hers for the reading.
She would never be lonely again, never miss the lack of intimate friends. Books became her friends and there was one for every mood. There was poetry for quiet companionship. There was adventure when she tired of quiet hours. There would be love stories when she came into adolescence and when she wanted to feel…
A solitary, unused to speaking of what he sees and feels
…, has mental experiences which are at once more intense and less articulate than those of a gregarious man. They are sluggish, yet more wayward, and never without a melancholy tinge. Sights and impressions which others brush aside with a glance, a light comment, a smile, occupy him more than their due; they sink silently…
There is no doubt that solitude is a challenge
… and to maintain balance within it a precarious business. But I must not forget that, for me, being with people or even with one beloved person for any length of time without solitude is even worse. I lose my center. I feel dispersed, scattered, in pieces. I must have time alone in which to…