There are few things as powerful as solitude to help you get in touch with your inner self—especially when that solitude is accompanied by silence and the elimination of outside stimuli such as television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and other popular forms of escape.
If you haven’t started already, begin to enjoy solitude. Get comfortable with being alone. This is time you can spend on your own thinking, reading elevating stuff, communing with nature, getting in touch with your intuition, smiling, laughing, crying, forgiving, and contemplating the questions of the universe.
This doesn’t mean you need to move to a cave in the wilderness. Far from it. People and relationships are a vital part of both our inner and our outer growth. But we all need time to recharge every now and then, not only to nourish our spirit, but so that we have new energy to give to others.
If solitude feels threatening to you, start in small ways, perhaps with a lunch date with yourself in a quiet setting, such as a pew in an open but vacant chapel. Expand that to a Saturday afternoon alone, possibly in a secluded garden or some other place where you won’t be disturbed. Then plan a private weekend retreat at home, or possibly in an organized retreat situation where everything but the inner search will be taken care of for you.
Be creative in coming up with ways you can spend time in solitude on a regular basis. I have a friend who for years spent his lunchtime in a deserted cemetery. It was the most convenient quiet place near his office he could find. He claims it got him comfortable not only with being alone, but also with the idea of death, a beneficial concept to have under your belt when you’re examining the big issues of your life.
Solitude gives you the opportunity to confront your inner self in ways that few other endeavors can. Out of your times of solitude come serenity, peace of mind, and unparalleled opportunities to connect with your soul.