WEBVTT - Solitude can be self care

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good morning.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is that solitude can be self-care. A little time

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<v Speaker 1>alone can help you feel more grounded and refreshed. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip comes from Emma Gannon, author of the book, A

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<v Speaker 1>Year of Nothing. She was recently a guest on the

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<v Speaker 1>Happiness Lab podcast. Gannon said solitude is part of what

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<v Speaker 1>she calls her mental health toolkit. This makes sense because,

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<v Speaker 1>as another expert on the podcast explained, time alone is

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<v Speaker 1>emotionally deactivating. Your positive and negative emotions become less intense

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<v Speaker 1>when you are alone. Your excitement fades a bit. Your

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<v Speaker 1>anger also becomes less intense. Your anxiety eases up. Being

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<v Speaker 1>alone turns down the volume on your emotions. What's more,

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<v Speaker 1>when you're alone, no one is asking you to do anything.

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<v Speaker 1>So you can notice and meet your own needs and

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<v Speaker 1>desires instead of someone else's. This can be really helpful

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<v Speaker 1>as self-care during busy times of life. So how do

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<v Speaker 1>you get time alone? I know this can be hard

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<v Speaker 1>for many people. One big idea. Consider a solo trip

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<v Speaker 1>or just a night in a local hotel or even

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<v Speaker 1>at the home of a friend who is out of town.

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<v Speaker 1>If you are in a phase of life where you

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<v Speaker 1>are constantly reacting to everyone else, being on your own

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<v Speaker 1>in a new space for just 24 hours can be

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<v Speaker 1>incredibly restorative. You might even ask for time alone as

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<v Speaker 1>a holiday or birthday present. It will probably be better

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<v Speaker 1>for you than a sweater. Now, that's not always doable,

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<v Speaker 1>and there are other ways of finding solitude too. You

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<v Speaker 1>can take a solo drive, walk, hike, or bike ride.

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<v Speaker 1>If you commute solo, there is some solitude right there

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<v Speaker 1>if you treat it as such. On occasion, you might

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<v Speaker 1>even commute in silence to see what you think about.

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<v Speaker 1>You can find a spot in your house where no

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<v Speaker 1>one else goes. Maybe you can find solitude in your basement,

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<v Speaker 1>your walk-in closet, a little used guest room. If you

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<v Speaker 1>have little kids, put another adult in charge of being

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<v Speaker 1>the first line of defense for a while. If you

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<v Speaker 1>have been home with little kids all day, the first

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<v Speaker 1>few minutes when your partner gets home from work might

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<v Speaker 1>be a good time for this. You get 10 minutes

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<v Speaker 1>of solitude, and then you emerge much more able to

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<v Speaker 1>deal with everyone. While you are solo, stay off your

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<v Speaker 1>phone and computer. Let yourself get lost in thought. Focus

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<v Speaker 1>on your breathing. Meditate, stretch, daydream, read. It's easy to

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<v Speaker 1>feel like there are demands coming at you from all sides,

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<v Speaker 1>and like you never get a moment to yourself. but

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<v Speaker 1>you can try to engineer some time alone if you

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<v Speaker 1>are strategic. Solitude can be incredibly powerful for maintaining a

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<v Speaker 1>sense of resilience and perspective. So grab a day or

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<v Speaker 1>night away if that's at all possible. Otherwise, take your

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<v Speaker 1>solitude as you can. Even 10 minutes of deep breathing

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<v Speaker 1>in a comfy chair in your walk-in closet could change

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<v Speaker 1>the course of your day if a lot of people

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<v Speaker 1>have been asking you for things. You return a little calmer.

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<v Speaker 1>No matter how busy you are, 10 minutes tends to

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<v Speaker 1>be doable. And it may be incredibly transformative. It's worth

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<v Speaker 1>giving it a try. In the meantime, this is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening. And here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've

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<v Speaker 1>got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at

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<v Speaker 1>laura at lauravandercam.com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia.

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<v Speaker 1>For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app,

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<v Speaker 1>Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you.