Solitude - The First Step to Inner Peace
Embracing silence amidst the chaos
These past few months, I’ve been unexpectedly afforded the precious gift of time. Time to be alone with my thoughts, emotions, and the essence of who I am. This solitude has been life changing. It’s allowed me to reflect on everything - my experiences, my behaviors, my relationships, my belief systems.
To look at them with a critical, objective eye.
To move past judgement, guilt, shame, blame, and victimhood.
To accept what has transpired in my life with compassion.
To identify the lessons I was meant to learn and appreciate the growth they’ve spurred.
So many of us are on a relentless quest for happiness. Yet, happiness, as radiant as it is, often proves elusive and insatiable. What we truly yearn for is inner peace - a profound connection to the core belief that all is well and always will be.
Naval beautifully captures this sentiment:
“Peace is happiness at rest; happiness is peace in motion.” Someone who’s peaceful at rest will end up happy when they do an activity. While a happy person sitting idle will be peaceful. The ultimate goal is not happiness, even though we use that term a lot. The goal is peace.
Life Is Noisy
Our lives are a cacophony of voices, demands, and distractions. We hold space for our family, friends, and colleagues. We navigate through crowds, traffic, and the ever-present hum of the digital world. The internet keeps us ceaselessly tethered to countless souls worldwide, while media and entertainment vie for our attention. Amidst this, we're pressured to be constantly 'busy', lest we be deemed unproductive or idle.
This unending barrage leaves us in a state of perpetual reaction, driven by ingrained patterns often rooted in past traumas. We're so externally focused that we neglect the internal journey, missing out on introspection and purposeful action.
This is difficult. Being still enough to be confronted with our own thoughts can be an unpleasant experience. But it’s necessary.
For genuine transformation, be it subtle or sublime, introspection is required. And true introspection blossoms in solitude.
To Find Inner Peace, First Get Comfortable With Solitude
Prioritize yourself
Remember that your primary duty is your own well being.
Declutter your schedule. If your calendar looks like a game of Tetris right before you die, you might need a reset.
Choose activities that resonate with your soul, not out of obligation.
Embrace the art of slowing down, ruthlessly eliminate hurry.
Cut out the noise
Take a hiatus from apps & technology.
Evaluate your relationships and the time you put into them. Notice what interactions energize you and what drains you. Put distance from the latter.
Recognize habits that serve merely as distractions. Pause. Reflect on the underlying urge and confront it instead of blindly satiating it.
Listen
In isolation, you’re now able to practice mindfulness.
Feel the sensations coursing through your body.
Identify the feelings associated with those physical sensations.
Connect the thoughts that trigger or narrate these emotions.
In this sanctuary of solitude, you might just stumble upon the revelations you've been seeking.
What I’m Doing This Week
Gratitude
I’m grateful to spend quality time with my father and my kids. To see the beauty of inter-generational relationships and how connecting, enriching, and healing they can be.
Lesson Learned
Fully surrendering to a higher plan is a process that takes time and requires a significant rewiring of old programming. Don’t rush it.
Listening to
Let Go by Frou Frou
Watching
Nassim Haramein is a physicist and researcher doing some mind-bending work. Listen to his breakdown of quantum physics and how he builds the connection between science and concepts of spirituality. The art and science of manifestation is a reality-shattering concept. Most noteworthy: it’s legit.
Reading
Humans Have Exceeded Six of the Nine Boundaries Keeping Earth Habitable
We can turn this around. Start with local sustainability. Grow your own food, shop farmer’s markets, and invest in local produce. Bike instead of drive. Buy less things you don’t really need. We often underestimate the economic power of voting with our dollars.
Self-care
Deep fascia work, hot baths, stretching, meditation, nature, naps, volleyball
Good article