My year of solitude ✨

[fizzythoughts]

So! You have a year entirely to yourself to do exactly as you wish... and spend time in solitude rurally in a cabin, or similar. Somewhere in nature to rejuvenate the soul and enjoy the simpler things in life.

How would you spend your time?

Okay so not an AIBU, but please share things that you would like to do to occupy yourself and create fulfilment. I'm gathering inspiration for how I would like to spend a year out away from the trials and tribulations of modern life and the intensity of city-dwelling. Recovering from depression. Also its unlikely I would be able to do this for an entire year so its fantasy, in large part, but we'll see!

So far on the list I have:
Cooking (and eating)
Walking - lots and lots of walking
Yoga
Reading
Swimming (somewhere secluded)
Painting
Writing
Being in nature
Minimal phone, internet and laptop usage
Therapy
Meditation
A consistent sleep routine

What would be on your list?

Wouldn't work for me, I need to socialise 🤷🏽‍♀️

Do we have unlimited money?

I'd create a little smallholding where I'd milk goats to make cheese and soaps and use the wool to knit with.

I'd take my camera and spend lots of time taking photos of wildlife.

I'd foster lots of cats as I'd miss my cats from home.

I'd create a big bird feeding station and try to get as many species as possible to come to it.

I'd dig a pond to attract lots of wildlife like frogs and newts

Lots of walking through the countryside

Eating as many meals outdoors as possible

Vegetable and herb garden

I could honestly live like this forever. It's my dream.

I’m presently traveling and have hit the west cost of Portugal.

many people here are on pilgrimage to Santiago

for me the sea, wind, salt are thearapy, along with cycling and camping

Can I bring my dog? Despite being an introvert lockdown taught me that solitude doesn’t suit me as much as I thought and I like to see people and go where people are, I just don’t particularly want to talk to them!

I lived on my own during lockdown - this cured me of any fantasies about solitude! I'm much happier and more productive with other people around a lot of the time.

This is my idea of heaven.
I would buy a big fifth wheel trailer, for a bit of luxury and pitch it up in the countryside with a view of a valley or a big lake or river.
Not complete solitude as I would need to bring my dog and we would spend our days walking and exploring. Sitting and watching nature.
I’d listen to relaxing music and learn to meditate.
I would take up watercolour paining, pottery and silversmith (ing!) and have a little workshop next to my trailer and would spend the day making all kinds of lovelies with my dog Bear snoozing in his bed under my work bench, I’d have classical music tinkling in the background.
Are you going to do this for real op? I am very envious if your are.
I too have depression and a very anxious and stressed life atm. Getting away in solitude sounds like bliss right now.

Read books. Cook on an open fire. Wash clothes by hand. Long walks. Birdwatching. Foraging. Gardening. Making preserves.

Love this thread! A secluded cabin please (although if Tesco could deliver it would be a bonus!) Books, books and more books. Pretty sure i could manage without tv but i would definitely need access to music. Ah, will spend the rest of the evening in a blissful daydream now. Thankyou for starting this OP!

Nope I couldn't do a year by myself. A year with my kids, unlimited money & options. I would travel around Canada & US. stay in rural cabins in the mountains in the winter & lake and beach houses in the summer.

Ideally travel around some of my favourite islands, staying wherever I wanted for however long I wanted to. Trouble is they're in Europe so only 90 continuous days is allowed now before having to leave for another 90 days.

I couldn't do this either, as another poster said, months alone during covid showed what would happen. Despite being very introverted so very happy spending weekends and most of week alone, long term aloneness sent me into a depression spiral.

But -- in a dream scenario where I could add in a couple of hours of socialising each week, I would:

Paint, have long walks in nature, write, run, read a huge amount, cook decent food, learn a language, and be in a place surrounded by lakes and pine forests.

Id learn the violin without worrying about annoying anyone

As long as I had WiFi, I would be happy. I would do lots of reading and play animal crossing. Go for lots of walks. Pretty much how I spent lockdown.

I could do this.
I'd need my cats, Amazon and Tesco delivery and Wi-Fi.
when do we start?

Can the cabin be on a tropical island? White sand, pale turquoise sea, gentle breezes, palm trees and lots of sun. And cats, lots of cats.

My list would be pretty much the same as yours, OP, except I’d maybe add teach myself piano and write. Maybe running instead of walking.

My aim is to make real life as much of this as possible tbh! - to make real life sustainable and pleasurable so that holiday time is a bonus rather than something you desperately need.

Ooh all of yours plus:

-Get a telescope and astronomy books and learn about the stars
-Have some kind of skincare routine/lovely smelling lotions and take care of myself
-Finally learn how to use my sewing machine and knit
-Learn a language/study a new subject as well

Just imagining this life is slowing my heart rate down!

I'd love it.
Crocheting, reading , audiobooks, sewing, cooking, walking, painting.
My husband would do his photography and writing as well as gardening with me.

Bliss.

Basically, what we already do but in a more tranquil place with wonderful views.

I did similar for lockdown, but on a boat - wild swimming, walking, kayaking, guitar, photos, reading, yoga, watching the sunset, meditation, studying, cooking... in many ways it was idyllic but be careful what you wish for. Isolation isn't a miracle cure for MH issues - the loneliness can make things worse and I'm still struggling to reintegrate into society.

I'm very happy in my own company (don't get enough of being on my own) so could do it for a long time happily. However - not sure that counts as 'solitude' as I like being out and about on my own, but still seeing things e.g. museums, galleries etc Happy not to talk to anyone.

Living alone, no problem, but I'd be worried things broke down and I'd have nobody to fix things like the heating, electricity etc

If alone I'd like books - plentiful supply - TV - Radio 4 - crosswords - my car to travel around and see things (happy not to talk to anybody, but I'd like to see things going on). I'd like to learn a new skill like painting and writing, so would need plentiful supply of art materials and paper.

Guess that is a form of solitude? I certainly couldn't like as a hermit.

I would write a massive book list and make my way through it ❤️

I write novels for a living. I love it, but writing something good isn’t exactly the stuff of carefree bliss, it can be fairly brutal hard work.

I pretty much lead this life + work

I'd set up a sanctuary for abused animals - horses, donkeys, dogs, cats etc

I’m 45 and have given up on the idea of meeting someone following my divorce. I want to get DC to uni (or whatever allows him to stand up
on his feet) and have a life like this. I’d like books, subscription to the New Yorker, radio, podcasts, yoga, meditation, a bike, cat. I’d like to be by the sea. I’d worry about nobody knowing I’d died (but it would be irrelevant if I did).