“Loneliness is usually a sign that I am not in touch with myself.” ~Unknown~
Simply put, solitude is aloneness. There is no value inherent within it; it takes on the quality that we assign to it. We can either embrace it as a time to be in touch with ourselves, or we can suffer through it by magnifying lonely feelings of separation. We can remain peacefully settled, or become unsettled and driven to remedy it. We can immerse ourselves in productivity – or life can stop. It’s really up to us.
“How to Be Alone,” a spoken word poem by Tanya Davis, presents a case for embracing solitude. It pairs singularity with activity by illustrating that life should not stop due to the state of aloneness. Within the many scenarios she presents, the underlying message is to continue living (versus biding time), and to treat ourselves well.
One of my favorite lines in the poem is, “Cuz if you’re happy in your head, then solitude is blessed and alone is okay.” I believe she is right.
Watch and enjoy – and evaluate your mindset for what it means to be alone.
How do you normally manage aloneness? Do you embrace it, or dread it? Were there any lines in the poem that resonated with you? Feel free to share your thoughts below.
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*Image: Pampalini
Thank you!
You’re welcome, Dawn. I really liked the video, and my hope was that others would gain some insight from it
I really love this poem. My sister showed it to me a few months ago.
The funny thing is, I love being alone. It’s what I’m most productive, and often when I’m most happy.
I think many people tend to have good relationships with other people, but bad relationships with themselves. I find that meditation can help improve that relationship with ourselves. We really should be our own best friend.
You said: I think many people tend to have good relationships with other people, but bad relationships with themselves. I find that meditation can help improve that relationship with ourselves. We really should be our own best friend.
Perfectly said – I agree 100%.
Alone.
I find it’s a wonderful way to begin and end each day.
Hi Reverof
I am actually learning to inject some moments of solitude into the middle of my day – it helps me to disperse any accumulating stress and refreshes my focus.
I like this especially because it shows how to nurture and love the most important support system that you have available to you. YOU!!!! I get so much done in my mind as far as planning for the future and developing a mode of attack for those aspects of my life that are locked in my mental cross hairs, when I’m driving by myself especially because my mind gets a chance to zone. Thanks for sharing this one!
It’s so important to know the difference between “being alone” and “being lonely”. If you accept that being ALONE is good; then it’s much easier to “practice” – making sure that you take care of yourself and nurture your own innermost needs. It’s not something that comes naturally to most people; women especially. We are so conditioned to fear “loneliness” that we get caught up in endless cycles of “busyness” in an effort to avoid that dreaded “lonely” feeling, and we don’t even recognize what we are doing or why. Thanks for raising the awareness level.