The Power of Being Alone
“Silence and solitude are confrontational. They plunge us instantly into the truth.”
This is true, I think. Yet silence is foreign. We are seldom truly alone, and many of us even fear the prospect.
Even when we prioritize being alone, the flotsam and jetsam of our lives rises as noise that distracts, stresses and overwhelms our systems. Our anxiety level can go through the roof, so that silence and solitude have the opposite of the intended effect.
One of the reasons for this is that the “pond water” of our soul is cloudy, full of detritus and debris from battles fought long ago, or maybe the ones we fought last night. It takes time for that to settle, often a lot of time. This is not a quick-fix treatment. Then again, things that are truly worthwhile seldom are.
Eventually that soul-water must be strained and then filtered. We have to learn how to listen to our hearts all over again.
All of this is essential in order to move forward, to discover the Longing deep within us and to identify and pursue the mission that spins out into our lives. With this wind at our back, we can bend our minds and hearts and souls and wills and strength toward True Success.
But it begins, I think, in silence.
Not empty silence (more on that some other time), but silence full of “natural stimulation”— the audible quiet of the wilderness absent man-made sounds, except maybe our breath, and, if we listen really hard, our heartbeat. That which makes us alive, we begin to hear. And this, over time, reveals the Longing, as creation pours forth the speech of eternity, a praise that never ends.
So, if you’re intrigued and are considering taking this path, here are some ideas as to how to pursue silence and solitude. I promise you that if you consistently go there, you will grow.
Now, SilSol (silence and solitude) should be very simple.
Find the nearest forest, backyard group of trees, a neighborhood park, a local lake shoreline or any natural area, and just go hang out there, preferably where no one else is visible or making noise. Don’t take music or books or even journals at first, and turn your phone to silent, or, if you’re semi-addicted, turn it off. It’s good for us to do that once in a while anyway. Take a blanket to sit on if you’d like, and some water to stay hydrated. But that’s it.
Just go there and be present in that space. Nothing fancy. Use all of your five senses as much as possible to drink in your surroundings, starting with the ground, then eye level, and then the sky. Don’t judge the results of this practice - it’s not a race to be run or a skill to be learned. Just breathe. Just be still. You were probably good at this when you were a kid, without even trying. It’s time to be kid again, even if just for a little while.
Make a simple commitment to do this practice once or twice a week for no less than 10-20 minutes (some folks will benefit from using their phone timer so they can relax better and enter into the moment). You may be surprised at what comes up.
For my more scientific readers, it’s been well documented that time in the outdoors has tremendous, almost miraculous benefits for the human body, mind, soul and spirit. Check out the science in The Nature Fix by Florence Williams.
So…nothing left to do now but to take the first step, and get out there.
What’s stopping you from making the time to experience the power of being alone?