The past couple of weeks I've experienced my share of stressors and through those tough times, I've spent a lot of time alone. As I prepare for another camping trip with my dog, I'm thinking about how I not only need to recharge the mental battery this month, I also need to recharge my physical battery.
As I embark on additional avenues of my business, this has included learning new technology and juggling business appointments with school assignments. I am now in a masters equivalent level in one of my certifications and the papers I write are at a much higher level than I've ever done before. The amount of research and critical thinking required has really challenged my abilities. There is also the stress of completing this certification by February to meet the one-year deadline. I've never been one to wait till the last minute and even though my tutor says that I'm submitting assignments ahead of other students, I'm behind when it comes to my timeline and how I do things.
I'm grateful to get another camping trip with my ailing dog. His health fluctuates a lot now but his quality of life is still good. It's been difficult to deal with the inconsistent status of his health. These monthly get aways have become a necessity not just a luxury to be able to handle the stress I am under. Yet, despite that, I wouldn't go back to how my life was a year ago for anything. I'd make the same choice I made in April to walk away from stable employment to the unknowns of entrepreneurship. As my dog's health declines, I am able to arrange my schedule to accommodate his needs. Since I work from home, I get to spend a lot of time with him as our time together wanes. My first grandchild will be born any day and I will have the flexibility to travel and see him any time I want. I never had that freedom working for someone else.
The solitude on these trips gives me the opportunity to catch up on my reading for pleasure, naps in the hammock and hours of enjoying the campfire and stars. It feeds my soul and gives me the energy to tackle all of these challenges. I have time to process triggers that have shown up and heal just a little more from my trauma. Solitude gives us perspective when we get away from the noise of our daily lives. When we're in the thick of it, we get reactive instead of proactive. We lose our perspective and ability to effectively cope.
How can you carve out time for solitude? If you can't go away frequently, can you create a nook in your home to sit quietly with a book or do nothing? Is there a spare closet or window seat that calls for you? It is a park bench by the trees or a lake? Wherever it is, find it. Preserve your sanity. Cherish your solitude. It will become your best friend.
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