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Solitude can be profoundly restorative. Here’s how to savour it | Psyche Ideas

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is the principal investigator of the Solitude Lab and associate professor in psychology at Durham University in the UK. She is also a co-author of Solitude: The Science and Power of Being Alone (2024). Edited by Christian Jarrett Save Share Post Email What if, alongside scheduling appointments, meetings, and social events in your calendar, you started to allocate specific times just to be by yourself – to enjoy solitude? I propose this thought experiment because, for many people I have talked to, solitude happens only as a happy (or unwelcome) accident. It’s the same for me: my calendar is filled with meetings and social engagements with colleagues and friends. Until recently, I rarely safeguarded my solitary time in the same way. When solitary time does come along, like when a meeting is cancelled, a plan falls through or a train is late, it’s rare that people take advantage of it with intention. It is quite common to feel compelled to reach for the phone to fill in those moments, to

What if, alongside scheduling appointments, meetings, and social events in your calendar, you started to allocate specific times just to be by yourself – to enjoy solitude? I propose this thought experiment because, for many people I have talked to, solitude happens only as a happy (or unwelcome) accident. It’s the same for me: my calendar is filled with meetings and social engagements with colleagues and friends. Until recently, I rarely safeguarded my solitary time in the same way. When solitary time does come along, like when a meeting is cancelled, a plan falls through or a train is…

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