Christmas isn’t always the most wonderful time of the year.
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Spending Christmas by yourself can be hard but research shows there are things that should help.
Being aware of the people you’re meditating with is an integral part of the process.
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People don’t just go on retreat to discover themselves. They also go hoping to find magical connections with others.
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Western thinkers have long valued time alone as a form of inner rejuvenation. Here, then, are four benefits to solitude.
Catholicism has a long tradition of seeing being alone as a source of healing, not isolation.
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Monastic tradition offers some useful advice about the value of isolation.
Alone or lonely?
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An audio version of an in depth article on the history of solitude.
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Learning from the example of spiritual retreats.
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Most people in the West are used to some form of solitude from time to time. But this is a fairly new normal.
Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts.
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‘Walden,’ published in 1854, is a manual for solitude with a purpose.
More and more Americans are choosing to be single.
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Singles can face mistaken stereotypes and value judgments that they are less happy, or lonelier. For many, being single is simply a relationship preference or even an orientation.
Hiking the Savage River Loop in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
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Many studies have shown that time outdoors is good for our physical health. Three wilderness education experts explain why periods alone in nature also provide mental and spiritual benefits.
Edward Hopper’s ‘Office in a Small City’ (1953).
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Although loneliness may seem timeless and universal, the word seems to have originated in the 16th century,
Loneliness (feeling alone) and solitude (being alone) are not the same thing.
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For those who are finding the social distancing isolating, here are some lessons from ancient hermits, who often found joy in being alone.
Don’t neglect to unplug and be actually alone.
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If a person is alone in the forest when a tree falls, but she doesn’t notice it because she is texting, does it still count as solitude?