‘Let us remain silent. Don’t let us get back into the discussion. Rumi
In their book Recovery, Lyndall Mitchell and Shannah Kennedy share proven strategies and practical tips for nourishing and nourishing yourself from the inside out. Below Lindell shares the benefits of alone time and embracing solitude to heighten your senses and reconnect. It’s about mastering the pause in order to resume.
Rebalance and reconnect
When we pause, we give ourselves time to think and room to breathe so we can make the best decisions possible. Every time you pause, you take a small step toward rebalancing and reconnecting to your true identity, your dreams, and your deepest desires.
Each pause is a moment when you allow yourself to gently relax. Learning to shut down and hit the pause button on your life is crucial. It’s like taking a deep breath to nourish your soul and find clarity, energy, and space.
Like an emotional and spiritual barometer, solitude and silence give us the power and space to shape and adjust our lives. It can reconnect us with our true selves, highlight our inner strength, and enable us to meet our own needs and desires rather than relying on others.
Solitude gives you space to think, dream, nourish, and restore yourself. We often overschedule our days and nights and find ourselves stuck on a fast-paced treadmill of pleasing others first rather than ourselves. We kept going, too tired to keep running and too scared to stop.
Loneliness is to create some breathing space in the long race of life, allowing life to have room to flow. It relieves the feeling of suffocation and provides space for clarity. The busier you are, the more important it is to regularly take advantage of the benefits of alone time to allow your body, mind and soul to recover and be at their strongest.
The benefits of alone time
Taking time out to sit and think is good for your physical and mental health. It provides a break from daily demands and distractions, giving your mind and body a much-needed vacation. This kind of solitude can help you learn more about yourself—you have the space to better understand your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Here are more benefits of alone time:
- Self-Connection – When you listen to your body and mind, you are more likely to make decisions that are consistent with your values and personal abilities. You’ll feel happier and calmer
- Your vision comes to fruition – By creating space, you can regularly revisit and reaffirm your goals and vision. This helps you stay on track and not start living someone else’s dream.
- Build strong mental resilience – By spending time in silence, you can hit the gym and exercise your mind and meditation. This mental training helps build your resilience and strengthens your mind.
- Improves Creativity – When we allow space, our creativity shines through. We need peace and quiet to develop solutions, enjoy those “aha” moments, and create our own ways of getting things done.
- Reduce stress – When you’re trying to regain your mental center, spending some time alone (perhaps in the middle of a park on a sunny day) can be extremely helpful.
- Increase Productivity – Refocus your attention and take the time to complete your projects. At work, find breakout rooms, mute any devices that might distract you, and work on projects in a planned way to maximize productivity.
- Increased empathy – People who can develop empathy have deeper, closer, and thriving relationships.
Be prepared for silence and loneliness
Before trying silence and solitude, here are a few things to consider:
- Decide how long you want to spend – The exact length of time you need will really depend on your own circumstances, but it’s important to set aside a dedicated time rather than leaving it to chance.
- Choose your location – To help minimize daily distractions, it’s useful to get away from your usual living environment. You can go on a retreat, or just go for a walk or go to a coffee shop.
- Communicate with others – Others will respect the time you take out, whether it’s half an hour a day, one day a month, or just part of your daily routine.
How to Master Pause; Spend Your Time in Silence and Solitude
During your time alone, there are a few activities you can try that will help increase your self-awareness. Remember to set goals for what you want to achieve when you take time out. Is it meditation and reflection? Or write, listen or move slowly at your own pace?
Meditation – Regular meditation can bring greater clarity and insight into our lives.
Thinking – Strategic thinking and planning are great for periods of silence and solitude. Clarity is often the result of incredible results.
Create – Having a space to brainstorm can be a starting point for unleashing your creativity. Speak your ideas boldly—no one around you can negate them.
Reconnect – Make the most of your time to really study the world around you. Touch the grass, smell the flowers, be in nature, and watch the clouds. You will regain a sense of your place in the world.
The only true teacher is not in the mountains, not in a Himalayan hut or an ice cave, it is already within us. Giving yourself permission to hit the pause button allows you to recharge, process your thoughts, and think about the world you’ve created for yourself. Sit down and understand it. When the inner noise begins to quiet down, the world around you will reflect this. Life becomes less of a struggle and everything becomes easier. It is in this incredible space that we can make wise, clear and powerful decisions to restore our natural state of balance.
Learn more about the book RESTORE and where to buy it here
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