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Hey everyone, I wanted to focus this issue of Riki’s Reflections on solitude deprivation. This idea comes from Cal Newport's book, Digital Minimalism, where he defines solitude deprivation as so: A state in which you spend close to zero time alone with your own thoughts and free from input from other minds. Solitude deprivation refers to how we, as a society and as individuals, do not spend enough time with our own thoughts. In the modern day, with the overwhelming presence of social media and constant influx of content, it’s challenging to sit with our own thoughts and truly feel what we are experiencing. This is something that I think people struggle with quite often. This topic also relates to sleep. When we lack time to process our thoughts, the only moment we are truly disconnected from the world is when we get into bed and try to fall asleep. This is why many people find it difficult to sleep; their minds race because they do not give themselves the opportunity throughout the day to process their thoughts. We are constantly bombarded by social media, news, and the thoughts of others, which prevents us from being fully present with our own thoughts and processing what they are telling us. So, how can we address this? Since reading "Digital Minimalism", I’ve stopped using all social media. Now, I know that this is a very unpopular practice to say the least, because everyone I know is on social media of some kind. However, I highly recommend reading "Digital Minimalism" because it explains why stepping back from social media may be beneficial and provides a step-by-step approach to assess the tools we use and evaluate whether they add value to our lives. One of the key takeaways from the book was to take long walks. I’ve been doing this for the past few months, where I walk my dog, and I'll typically listen to audiobooks or podcasts to continue learning and expanding my knowledge. However, after reading the book, I recognized the value of walking without any external input—no music, audiobooks, or podcasts—just my thoughts. As a result, I’ve been alternating my walks: one with earphones and one without. This approach has worked well for me because I believe it is important to find a balance rather than adopting an all-or-nothing mindset, as with all things in life. Therefore, I decided to try one walk with headphones and one without, and so far, it's been working well. There won’t be immediate benefits from cultivating solitude in your thoughts. If you go for a walk without your headphones, it's not going to be anything spectacular at first. However, with consistency, I believe it will help us process our thoughts better and open our minds. I specifically like to walk without music when I feel overwhelmed or stressed so I can allow my thoughts and feelings to process themselves. I find this immensely valuable, especially when making decisions or when I feel overwhelmed. It provides the time and space to avoid being bombarded by others' thoughts and simply allows you to process your own thoughts and experience the solitude that we, as a hyper-connected society, often lack. In today's world, we are so often consuming other people's thoughts that we neglect our own, which I believe may negatively impact our mental health and well-being. Constantly consuming and focusing on what others think can hinder our ability to reflect on our feelings and thoughts. Without taking the time to process our own ideas, it becomes challenging to think clearly and form our own opinions. Cultivating solitude can provide the clarity we seek. I encourage you to give it a try and see if it works for you. Even if you start small, like dedicating time once a week to walk and reflect, it may have a positive impact on you. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think you spend enough time with your own thoughts? Do you already have something in place to try and address this? Hit reply and let me know. Have a good one, Riki Things I’m loving this week
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Riki Lethbridge
Hey, I'm Riki. Welcome to my corner of the internet. Here you can find all my writing about life, work, productivity, fulfilment, and anything in between. If you want to hear from me each week, you can sign up to Riki's Reflections below.