Importance Of Solitude In Childhood

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When I was growing up I was able to experience something that most children, and adults, don’t get to undergo in their daily life – solitude. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines solitude as, "the quality or state of being alone or remote from society". My parents made it a priority to let me spend time alone, without technology, so that I was able to understand that being alone wasn 't something that 's wrong, weird, or whatever else society labeled it. Solitude during childhood is what allows you to grow up as an individual that is able to reflect on the past, present, and to have the ability to make goals for the future. Throughout my life I 've always been someone who enjoys time away from others. I 'm able to think the best when I 'm …show more content…

I grew into more of an introverted person that cherished moments by myself, but it wasn 't until my English class started that I began to take more time out of my day to have intentional solitude. It was about two weeks into the class and we were spending time reading articles about solitude and all of the benefits that come when people take time out of their day to themselves. One night while I was driving to soccer practice I decided to put what I had been learning to use. The sun was setting while pink and orange covered the Colorado mountain range. I was blasting my music for the majority of the drive, but as I was only several minutes away from my destination, I made a decision to turn it off for the rest of the drive. At first my mind thought of all the things that I needed to get done, mostly assignments that needed to be turned in, but after I sorted all of it in my mind I started to have peaceful, creative thoughts. The scenery around me made feel nostalgic and happy about my life and where I was. It was the first peaceful moment I had had for several weeks, and because of that I noticed that I was significantly more energized when I was with my team. I 'm one of the captains, so my teammates expect me to be a leader on and off the field. It 's difficult to be a leader when you feel mentally withdrawn from the world, so incorporating solitude in my daily life has been extremely beneficial for …show more content…

I have many more experiences to go through the next few years of my life, so I hope that I use whatever solitude I get to my benefit. I 'm excited to incorporate time alone into my college years because I think many college students get lost in their thoughts because of their busy schedules, and don 't know how to ever be in peace. College is a time where many students seek out their true identity, and the only way to find it is through solitude. I believe I 'll be a student that continues to learn about myself as I seek solitude in the upcoming years.
The experiences with solitude that I 've had haven 't all been insightful, at first it took me a long amount of time to understand that I needed to focus on the good parts of my life instead of the stressful ones. I 've always been comfortable with silence, so experimenting with solitude and time alone hasn 't been difficult for me. It 's been the most beneficial for me when I actually take time to incorporate it into my day instead of going on my phone at the end of a long day. When I spend time in solitude, I notice the differences in my attitude and in my outlook on

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