Seeking Solitude Sustains Us!
I spent most of my adult life feeling guilty about seeking solitude. Grabbing moments and desperately trying to slow down and regroup in the quiet. For many, solitude, may even have a negative connotation as if you are rejecting others, lonely or isolated and must be mentally and emotionally unwell.
Remarkably, the opposite is true. During solitude, we are able to quiet our minds, process thoughts and emotions and gain clarity and perspective. Amazingly deep tools that help us reduce stress and improve mental health. We become better leaders, parents, friends, and partners.
Creative thinkers thrive in the quiet too. They find their most inspired thoughts popping from seemingly nowhere during those invaluable, critical times of solitude. Times that simply allow them to focus and explore ideas without external influences or distractions.
How and why is the concept of “solitude” not only beneficial but critically important?
Our world is fast-pasted and over-connected (sometimes interesting but not always good), we are bombarded with stimuli and distractions from both the digital and physical world. With our minds overwhelmed and emotions exhausted we fall out of alignment. Without alignment we lose touch with the natural, God inspired, flow of our being and we miss the best that life has to offer. Even worse we fall short of bringing our passion and skills to the forefront and we fail to live into our life’s calling.
During times of solitude, we gift ourselves time to reflect, become more self-aware, identify areas for growth and put strategies in place to live with more intention and fullness.
As the season warms in New England, a simple long walk provides quiet me time to think and decompress. If it has been far too long since you truly took time to recalibrate, you may be ready for a weeklong retreat. Surrounded by an exotic nature preserve, waking to howler moneys as the jungle comes alive each morning you will rest in solitude, restore your mind, and awaken your soul.
Kim Fawcett is the President of Awaken Your Soul retreats, visit www.awakenursoul.net for more information on upcoming retreats for men and women.
