Solitude is not Loneliness — Spend Time with Yourself

Solitude is not loneliness, in simple words being alone is not always lonely. There is a philosophical difference between the two and choosing to be alone certainly has some plus points. So, when was the last time you spent some quality time with yourself?

Imagine there are two people sitting in a busy café. One can feel quite content enjoying one’s company by sipping coffee, listening to music, or tapping out an email. The other can feel miserably lonely, conscious of a lack of company to share the moment with.

Loneliness is a feeling of emptiness where you feel isolated or abandoned as you have no one to talk to. Even in the busiest of cities surrounded by people, we can feel terribly lonely due to a lack of connection with others.

On the contrary, solitude is another concept altogether. To be solitary is to retreat into yourself and take great pleasure in your own company. By being alone you reach a communion with yourself and can think as freely as you like. It’s your place of freedom and honesty, where your thoughts are free to wander. You can teleport yourself to an imaginary world, reminisce about a past memory, or philosophize a reality.

Talking to yourself is a blessing and you might be surprised by what you learn. You dive into ideas, perceptions, and emotions inaccessible to the social self. By virtue of being cut off from all distractions and other people, you get time to reflect, introspect and discover great things.

While solitude might sometimes be necessary for creativity, loneliness can often be a pathway to depression. There is no sure-fire way to distinguish the two apart but in general solitude is often a chosen state, while loneliness is forced.

Alvina Clara, Content Writer, emQube