How Solitude Can Boost Your Mental Health

Making good life decisions requires having time and space to think

Photo by Sasha Freemind on Unsplash

Have you ever craved an escape from all the nuttiness of life?

You might be one of the rare folks who have everything put together, but we sometimes wish for some downtime for the rest of us. Also known as “alone time.” And for the brave ones, we just call it solitude.

You don’t need to escape to a far-away land.

Nah.

Solitude can sometimes be found in the busiest, most crowded places.

Solitude often means shutting down and shutting out the lunacy that life brings so we can breathe and regroup.

Think of solitude like a see-saw. On one side, privacy that’s isolating and withdrawn from people, places, and activities you enjoy can be detrimental. On the other side, purposefully withdrawing from life’s chaos and the influences of others can be incredibly important. Finding just enough solitude without creating harmful isolation is a good balance.

While too much of the wrong type of solitude can negatively impact your psyche, healthy bouts of alone time can boost your mental health.

Learning to be alone is a skill