By: Pallvi
“Then asked somebody, what’s there in solitude? The solitude answered, “everything except the chaos”. There’s a type of freedom that lives in a space of solitude. The mind is free to roam without seeking permission, and at that moment, you find yourself more available and readily able to choose yourself without feeling guilty or selfish.
When I was young, my grandfather used to take me to the mountains in the backyard of our house. I used to play there all day long till the sunset, not knowing that one day when I would be a grown-up. I would be longing to get back here and spend my days like earlier, as wherever I roam, nature is the only stranger that feels like home.
Sometimes you have to be alone to discover what truly matters. I, myself, became ok with being alone and the further I go in this solitude, the more resistant I am to leave it behind. There are many times when I feel the whisper of loneliness on my neck. But I know it will pass and that alone doesn’t justify not having someone, at least not to me.
I have reached a place where I am not interested in anything less than absolutely amazing. Because anything less than that and I’d rather be alone. There was a phase in my life, where I was dealing with multiple breakdowns and I wished I had someone by my side just to assure that everything would be alright, but at the same time I was only there for myself.
You could have people around you comforting and assuring you of betterment, but till the moment you decide to be yourself, to be at peace with yourself, the words that others say do not make any difference. Enjoying your alone time creates space in your mind, heart, and soul thus, freeing your creativity, mending your heart, and nourishing your soul.
It’s often hard to be comfortable in one’s skin, with one’s thoughts, alone. It takes patience to find the peace that resides in us. But with regular time practicing solitude, you will start to find that your own skin is just where you belong.
Most of us use people to fight the loneliness inside ourselves, and when they are of not much help we lose a sense of companionship. Hence, I think we should make solitude our companion, as in the words of Henry David Thoreau, “I have never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude.”
One should learn to stay alone and enjoy the companionship of solitude. You never know who will leave you and when. If being in solitude has taught me anything, then it is how to be strong when needed, how to let go when there’s nothing left to hold onto and how to value myself before giving my love to anyone else.
We should fall in love with our own company. You realise a lot when you distance yourself. You realise how powerful your own company is, how addictive your solitude is, how peaceful it is to be alone.
If you have the courage to make it through a lonely night with nothing but your
self-destructive thoughts to keep you accompanied, you have the courage to make it through anything. Take trains by yourself to places you have never been. Go far away so that you stop being afraid of not coming back. Say no when you don’t want to do something. Say yes when your intuitions are strong. Roam far and wander wide. Sleep out alone under the stars. Decide if fitting in is more important than finding out what you are doing here. Find solace in your solitude.