Does life feel noisy and chaotic?
It doesn’t have to be that way.
You Don’t Have to Be a Monk to Practice Solitude
Life can be busy and loud. You may even feel like life is like that all day, every day. But you weren’t created to fly through life at a million miles per hour. You can’t be reflective, intentional, proactive, and in touch with God if your life is chaotic. That’s why the regular practice of solitude is so important.
To be spiritually healthy, you need to take time off, dial down the noise of life, and focus on connection with your heavenly Father.
Here are a few things to consider about practicing solitude:
Your periods of solitude can be as short as 15 minutes or as long as a day.
If you want to make a habit of solitude, decide on a frequency for your practice of it. Consider what works best for the rhythm of your life—daily, weekly, monthly, or some other frequency.
Be patient. It’ll probably take some practice to quiet your mind. That’s why, whatever frequency you choose for your practice of solitude, you should plan to follow through at least 30 times. That will help you build a habit.
Ready to Try Solitude?
If you think you’re ready to try solitude, download this guide. It will give you a little more background on the practice, as well as some questions you can discuss in a group or reflect on by yourself, and some tips for beginning a regular practice of fasting.
Additional Resources
Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Ruth Haley Barton
Thoughts In Solitude by Thomas Merton
Out of Solitude by Henri Nouwen