The Benefits & The Beauty Of Solitude
Why does no one ever tell us about the loneliness of adulting? Who created the manual and why did no one ever receive their copy? I've been navigating the land of Paying Bills & Sh-t for a few years now and it's led me to believe that maybe the manual doesn't exist because it isn't a one size fits all kind of thing.
It's a land that's best chartered alone where you find self, ditch the trends, stop relying on outside influence, and learn to trust yourself to make wiser decisions. I think a big part of surviving adulting is always remaining open to see the beauty of a thing – no matter how much it hurts or how awkward it feels or how weird you look doing it. I have found beauty while toiling the path alone and I do believe that there are gifts in solitude.
The Gift of Self-Awareness
Up until your 25th birthday, if you're anything like me, your life might have looked pretty much the same as all your BFFs. When one of you found a new bomb beauty product, you all found a new bomb beauty product. If one of your friends was really into a certain artist, you were all feeling said artist (or pretended to anyway). You swept your personal dreams and passions to the side lest you be mocked for not following popular opinion. You attended parties you had no interest in being in and I have to pose the question:
What happened to the person you were before they told you who to be?
While on the pursuit of finding self as a young adult, I was able to reintroduce myself as the person I always wanted to be. The person I was before peer pressure took over and removed the quirks and flaws that made me me. I was able to spend all of my time at the bookstore ooh-ing and ah-ing over poetry books by RH. Sin, Rupi Kaur, and Rob Hill Sr. I was even privileged to attend some of their events (alone) and I really enjoyed myself – for the first time in a long time. I wasn't able to spend as much time with my outgoing, extroverted friends but that was okay. I was getting to really know me and as life will teach us, you are the only constant in your life. Might as well get to know her thoroughly and love her fiercely.
The Gift of Becoming Your Best Self
"Elevation requires separation" is a popular adage that I hear time and time again. Whilst finding self, I stumbled into purpose. Questioning my life's work and what I really wanted to give and get out of this lifetime. Adulting can have you soul searching as if you were a real life guest on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday. The only problem was, most of the people that I kept close didn't understand why I felt the need to do more. I already had a coveted position as a Law Clerk at the time, checking in at the Immigration Board and local court houses several times a week. They didn't understand that my paycheck and/or status wasn't the end all be all.
They were comfortable with the person they knew and I was feeling hella uncomfortable as life demanded more of me. It's not that the people who know and love you don't want to see you win – it's that they fear who you may become on the journey. They don't want you to become so successful that you forget about them. They don't want you to be too busy to gossip every Friday over some bubbly, like you've done every week since leaving high school. I guess this would be an adequate time to remind you once again that you are the only constant in your life. It's important to be there for the people that are there for you – but you have to remember that this life you're living is for you and your maker.
The Gift of Discernment
After relying on outside opinion for so much of our lives, it can become quite hard for us to learn to trust the voice within. It's always been there though. That time your badass friend Tiffany told you it was a good idea to skip class to go on a double date – you felt it. That little feeling in your gut that had you feeling sick af, partially because you knew mama would crucify you when she found out and partially because you knew it was wrong. Big sister intuition is always there and will never leave you. The great thing about discernment is the more time we spend with her, the stronger she becomes.
Sometimes it's best to turn down the volume on the outside so you can really hear the most important thoughts of your inner self.
Now this chapter of our lives is about making better decisions, knowing who we are and what we really want out of life, and doing things that truly make us happy. I'm pretty sure I saw you raise your hand when asked if you're ready to live your best life. The keyword there is your…your best life.
You've spent long enough making mama happy, feeling pressured to go to this outing and that outing because that's what the rest of the crew wanted to do, and making crappy decisions based on opinions from people who really don't know what the eff they're doing either. I wish I could edit this part out too but there's beauty in the struggle mama.
Cheers to adulting.
Featured image by Shutterstock
- The Benefits of Solitude | The Walrus ›
- 6 Reasons You Should Spend More Time Alone | Psychology Today ›
- The Psychological Benefits of Being Alone - The Atlantic ›
- The Beauty of Being Single: 6 Benefits of Solitude ›
- 7 Science-Backed Reasons You Should Spend More Time Alone ›
- 5 Life-changing Benefits of Solitude - Operation Meditation ›
- How Solitude Can Change Your Brain In Profound Ways ›
- the lost art of solitude : zen habits ›
- Benefits of Solitude | Dag ›
- The benefits of solitude ›
Danielle Smith is a Toronto-based Personal Development Junkie on the gram @youbettaglowgirl. She keeps her hands full as a Writer, Speaker, Stylist & Non-Profit Founder, all while doing her most important job as a full-time mama of one. Marching to the beat of her own drum and a playlist of her favourite 90s R&B, she's blazed a path of her own.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Why We'll Probably Never Hear Lupita Nyong'o Share Her Relationship With The World
Lupita Nyong'o is sharing a transparent look into her life after a recent breakup.
In a cover story for NET-A-PORTER, the A Quiet Place: Day One star shed light on the significant heartbreak she experienced following the end of her relationship with ex-boyfriend and TV host, Selema Masekela.
As a public figure, Nyong'o, 39, sought to divulge the news of the breakup in hopes of presenting a more authentic perspective on the pain that follows a separation.
"I was living in a lot of pain and heartbreak," she told the publication. "I looked at the environment of my social media and thought I don’t want to be a part of this illusion that everything is always coming up roses. Surely there is a lesson for me to learn in this, and I just want to be real about it."
The Black Panther star went on to explain that her choice to be transparent with her fans about her breakup came from the certainty she felt after ending the relationship. “In my mind, when I shared my relationship status with the world, it was because I felt sure about it,” she said.
While she didn’t know how the news would land with her fans, she found relief in knowing she wasn’t alone in her experience.
“I knew how it could be interpreted; I knew it would have a life of its own,” she reflects. “But then I started to see the comments and people were being so loving and supportive. The ones that moved me the most were other people sharing their pain and their heartbreak.”
Nyong'o and Masekela went Instagram official in December 2022, publicly announcing their relationship in a couple's video. In October 2023, Nyong'o took to her personal Instagram account to share the news of her breakup in her caption, writing, "At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust.”
She continued the vulnerable note, "I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception. I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, 'Whatever, my life is better this way.' But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love."
These days, Nyong'o tells NET-A-PORTER that she is prioritizing profound self-discovery that extends beyond her career. She notes having a deliberate and unhurried approach to understanding herself.
She also alludes to keeping her relationships private moving forward after noting it was "very, very sage" of her not to talk about her private life professionally in the days before her last relationship. "I'm going back to those days by the way," Nyong'o shares of her reinstated boundaries around her personal life.
Earlier this month, Nyong'o made headlines alongside her new boyfriend actor Joshua Jackson. Nyong'o and Jackson went through public splits from their respective SOs in October 2023, with the latter splitting from his long-time partner Jodie Turner-Smith following her divorce filing from the Dawson's Creek alum.
The pair have been spotted together as early as December 2023, but nothing screamed "couple" quite as loudly as their recent getaway to Mexico for Nyong'o's 41st birthday featuring passionate displays of affection.
"Our purpose in life is to love. And so you have to get back in it," she tells the outlet, seemingly alluding to her budding new romance.
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Featured image by Taylor Hill/Getty Images