PRACTICAL KEYS TO EMBRACE SOLITUDE AND ITS IMPORTANCE.

Estimated reading time: 13 minutes

Do you have a set time where you get to step away from the bustle and hustle of life and pour into yourself? Do you have moments where you check in and do an inventory to assess the state you are in? Having some alone time is key and should be encouraged. When you set time aside for yourself to just refresh and exhale, you set yourself up for a better and more energized you. A refreshed and energized you are an asset to those around you, and the opposite is true. Today, I want us to look at how to embrace solitude and why it is important to embrace solitude, to begin with.

• Solitude definition
• Why is it important to embrace solitude?
• Clear your mind and declutter.
• Self-discovery
• You will cultivate intimacy with God when you learn to embrace solitude.
• You can only fill your cup when you embrace solitude.
• You are able to tap into your creativity
  • Some of the notable inventions and their inventors.
• Practical ways to help you embrace solitude.
• The first thing is to create time and be intentional if you want to embrace solitude.
• Have a journal.
• Learn to say no.
• Spend time with God.
• Learn to enjoy your own company.
• Final thought.

Have you been feeling cranky of late? Or maybe you feel like you are running on autopilot and you need a change. Maybe you have surrounded yourself with external stimulants and haven’t had the run to check in with yourself. It could be time for you to spend time alone and embrace solitude.

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Solitude definition

According to Mariam-Webster,

SOLITUDE may imply a condition of being apart from all human beings or of being cut off by wish or circumstances from one’s usual associates.

ISOLATION stresses detachment from others often involuntarily.

SECLUSION suggests a shutting away or keeping apart from others often connoting deliberate withdrawal from the world or retirement to a quiet life

Based on these definitions, we can clearly see that solitude encompasses stepping away from the crowd and taking time alone. Let me ask you a question before we get started, do you enjoy being alone? How often do you take time to be alone? Is that something you do consistently? Anyway, back to the topic at hand.

Why is it important to embrace solitude?

God instituted a day of rest because He knew its importance. He rested on the 7th day. Imagine that! The Sovereign God took time out to rest. So why should you take some time away and embrace solitude?

Clear your mind and declutter.

It is difficult to tap into your inner self when you don’t set aside some alone time. When you step away from the normal routine to check in, you silence the noise around you and can hear your thoughts and the Holy Spirit. When you pause to reflect, you can deal with the things that have been bothering you and release any pent-up emotions you might be harboring.

Decluttering your mind also leads to fewer outbursts and overreactions. It also causes you to realize your triggers and the areas you need to work on. Have you been having frequent outbursts lately? Some solitude will do you good. Outbursts stem from undealt emotions. Do you constantly feel like your mind is foggy? You could need to declutter your mind and get rid of the junk by stepping away from everything to recollect your thoughts and mind. And you will only find this when you learn to embrace solitude

Solitude help enhance your self-awareness and thus you can really know who you truly are without being influenced by others

Self-discovery

You will never know who you are until you learn to embrace solitude. How will you know your passion, purpose, and goals if you do not quiet the noise? God has given you unique skills and abilities and often, they will be cultivated in silence. Do you know who you are?

God created you in His image and likeness, and He has placed in you a unique ability and personality that He wants you to reveal to the world. In solitude, your creativity is activated and suddenly ideas and solutions you didn’t know you have pop up. Solitude is the activator of purpose. If you are yet to discover your purpose, how about you cultivate spending time alone and silencing every other voice?

Solitude wI’ll teach you to have compassion for yourself and truly love yourself.

Radiantly resuRGING

If someone asked you to describe yourself, what would you say? Would you solely rely on what others around you say or do you have your own definite answer? Do you have a purpose that ignites the fire inside you? Or are you just breezing through life? Do you know the reason for your being? Do you know the solution God put inside you? Can you identify why you react the way you do or why you dislike the things you do? Can you honestly say you have an independent mind that’s not swayed by your background, culture, family, or peers?

If you lack the answer to some of these questions, then you need to set time aside for you to discover who you are and who you are in Christ. Remember this, if you do not stand for something, you will fall for anything. Do not allow culture or your background to sway you. With how dynamic our world is, how opinionated people are, and the increase of the cancel culture you need to know who you are, your core values, and what you stand for. Your voice matters and it needs to be heard. And the only way you can achieve that is by self-discovery, which is found in your alone time.

In solitude you are able to silence the noise and every other noise and tap into who you really are.

Radiantly Resurging

You will cultivate intimacy with God when you learn to embrace solitude.

We cultivate intimacy with God in the secret place. If you have ever desired to hear God for yourself, then you need to spend intentional uninterrupted time with Him. Every prophet, or person who walked closely with God, spent quality, uninterrupted time with Him. Moses would go to the mountain to spend time with Him. Abraham would withdraw from his family and daily activities to commune with God. Enoch walked closely with God until He was no more.

Even Jesus, while on earth, would withdraw from the crowd to spend time with God. Do you have time you have set aside for God? You can set the tone by playing worship music, reading His word, or even listening to the audio Bible. Whatever the case may be just choose one that will help you focus on God and who He is and the more you do that the clearer His voice will be and the more you will feel His presence all around you.

Every person in the Bible who had a true friendship with God had mastered the art of solitude. Jesus often went away to pray. The Israelites knew Moses as one who spent time with God for months. David received insights and healing in moments of solitude.

You can only fill your cup when you embrace solitude.

You can never pour from an empty cup and if you do not want to experience burnout, have some alone time. Schedule it and make yourself a priority. How will you be there for someone else if you can’t be there for yourself? It is not selfish to want to put yourself first; it is selfless. When you are full, you will be of more help to those around you than when you are empty. Constantly prioritizing others before yourself will lead to burnout, bitterness, you being cranky, moody, and somewhat irrational.

You are able to tap into your creativity

People who had mastered the art of solitude created most of the notable inventions. In solitude, your creativity comes alive. You are also able to hear the Holy Spirit and have Him give you downloads that will bring solutions to the earth.

Some of the notable inventions and their inventors.

• Georgia O’Keeffe was an American artist who lived to be nearly 100 years old and has been called the Mother of American modernism. She is known for her paintings of enlarged flowers, New York skyscrapers, and New Mexico landscapes. Despite her popularity, she preferred to live a life of solitude and found inspiration in nature.
• Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, and futurist best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system. He never married, and solitude was his creed for inventiveness, which led to over 300 patents worldwide for his inventions, many of which are still used today.
• Frida Kahlo was a painter known for her self-portraits and works inspired by nature and Mexican culture. Her art style explored questions of identity, postcolonialism, gender, class, and race in Mexican society. Truly an inspiration, she turned her suffering and disability into art. Being bedridden and sickly most of her life, she discovered self-love and the strength to endure. She used art for therapy for herself and as a gift to inspire others.
• Marcel Proust was a French novelist, most notably known for his book, In Search of Lost Time. Critics and writers consider him to be one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. He is perhaps the most extremely creative who practiced solitude in his creative process.
• Paul in the Bible wrote so many of his letters while he was in prison. It was in his time of solitude that he gained clarity to hear from the Holy Spirit and therefore was able to give insights and advice that are still relevant today.

The mind is sharper and keener in seclusion and uninterrupted solitude. No big laboratory is needed in which to think. Originality thrives in seclusion free of outside influences beating upon us to cripple the creative mind. Be alone, that is the secret of invention; be alone, that is when ideas are born. That is why many of the earthly miracles have had their genesis in humble surroundings.”

NIKOLA TESLA

Practical ways to help you embrace solitude.

What steps can you take to embrace solitude?

The first thing is to create time and be intentional if you want to embrace solitude.

Wake up earlier than you would or sleep later than you would. Pick a time that you will not have any interruptions. If neither works, look for a time during the day when you can check in, during lunch maybe? It does not have to be an hour. 20 minutes will suffice if you can’t find the time. But be intentional with the time and solely use it for yourself.

Another thing is consistency. Have frequent check-ins for maximum results. Ask yourself questions, and hold a meeting with yourself. Congratulate yourself for any milestone achieved, regardless of how small they are. Correct yourself for any mistake and do it with grace. Be empathetic to yourself as you would to others. Speak positively to yourself. The more you do so the more you will enjoy solitude and ignite the real you.

Have a journal.

Journaling is the best way to express yourself and put to words what you are feeling. Just write what comes to mind. Whether it is a sad, or happy thing, just jot it down. As you write you will realize you feel better as journaling is therapeutic.

Take yourself on a date and do something you love. What do you enjoy doing? Is it riding a bicycle, hiking, reading a book, or watching a movie? Whatever the case, maybe do it. The catch, however, is to do it alone. Why? The more you spend time with yourself, the more you fall in love with yourself, and this will build up your confidence. When you are confident in who you are, people are less likely to tear you down because their words will not faze you and even when they say things that hurt you, you will bounce back faster because you already know who you are. If you don’t know what you like, go on a self-discovery journey, try out new and fun things. Identify situations and places that make you come alive and make a point to do that more.

Learn to say no.

Say no to situations, environments, and people that tear and wear you down. Limit your interaction with people that bring out the worst in you and spend more time with people who bring out the best in you.

Spend time with God.

The foundation of effective check-ins that bring results is found in your relationship with God. As you develop your relationship with God, you will become more in tune with whom you are and in turn find it easy to spend time alone. God will reveal to you your identity and lead you to discover what He has placed inside you.

The more you spend time with God the more you will fall in love with yourself and even discover your purpose, passion, and desires. God’s love will permeate you and cause you to love yourself. God told us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. How will you love your neighbor if you don’t love yourself? Love yourself first before you can love your neighbor. And you will cultivate this all if you spend time alone.

Your relationship with God will also bring out your authenticity because you will no longer be a people pleaser rather you will want to follow Him and pursue His purpose for you which will bring you the ultimate fulfillment.

Learn to enjoy your own company.

It could start with doing the things you love doing. Try out new things to find what you enjoy if you are yet to discover what you like. As you do the things you love, you will have something to look forward to in your alone time, and, in so doing, it will help you master the art of solitude.

Final thought.

It is important to have moments where you get to pause and reflect on your life. You will have moments where you are overwhelmed or dealing with difficult situations and for you to experience true lasting healing, step out of the crowd and embrace solitude. Because it is in the solitude that your faith is strengthened and your strength is established. The longest relationship you will ever have is with yourself so you might as well learn how to spend time alone and love yourself.  

• EMBRACE THE NEW PATH: LET GO OF THE OLD.
• THE POWER IN ACKNOWLEDGING YOUR PAIN
• WHEN YOU FEEL EMPTY!
• 3 KEYS TO HELP YOU NAVIGATE THE NEW SEASON!
• How To Know You Are Living Authentically.

Choose yourself, do the things you enjoy, say no to the things that don’t fulfill you, embrace the places God is taking you to and say yes to what He is asking you to do. He is your creator, and He knows best, so wherever He is calling you to, He knows it will be for your own good. Do something new, embrace the real you, and be comfortable sharing who you really are with the world. But for you to experience it all, go through some periods of solitude and pain because confronting you is the hardest, most uncomfortable task you will ever have to do. But if you consistently stick it out, you will become an improved you that will help others become their authentic self. Don’t shy away from spending time alone. Embrace it and enjoy the journey.