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It’s Hard To Thrive In Solitude Unless You Feel Connected
Solitude is central to who I am, allowing me to expand into a space where I feel most authentically myself. It is where I find the freedom to reflect, explore, create and to just be. It makes me feel grounded and whole and ready to face the world again.
In recent times, the idea of solitude has been reclaimed from the negative connotations that come with being alone. Most notably, it’s been reframed as an antidote to the relentless encroachment of the digital attention economy on our inner lives.
This slant on solitude has become more about relief from digital distractions than the absence of human company. We’re urged to detox by closing down the apps and switching off in the hope of finding a space of calm within an overtaxed brain. Solitude has become a prescription for well-being.
Solitude is now a sought-after commodity available to those with the resources and privilege to access it. But for people working second and third jobs to make ends meet, or mothers disproportionately burdened with the mental load of parenting and household management, solitude is a far-off foreign land.
