The surprising power of solitude

[@xvxv711]

The greatest quote I ever heard was “your presence needs to be greater than my solitude”

[@pearl7665]

i sometimes feel almost sick to my stomach from overstimulation, yet i have such a phone addiction i just cant stop. i really feel this….

[@joleneharwood8493]

I feel the same way

[@reachnandini]

How do you know it's from overstimulation ?

[@justinhambidge8811]

Having two children the magical thing about those under 9/10 years old is that as a parent you rediscover enjoyment through solitude. Noticing all the small amazing things in life that we may take for granted.

[@jenniferjacques4971]

I’ve been on my own digital minimalist journey for the past year, making small changes and steps here and there. It’s been so refreshing to start living life offline and not feeling such a pull to many social media platforms. I recently discovered your channel and I’ve been really enjoying your content. Thank you for bringing us along on your journey!

[@stationery-and-stories]

I’ve been slowly making my way through your content and echo another comment here: I’m grateful you’ve continued on KZbin while you’ve moved toward digital minimalism! I’ve found inspiration and solace in your words and comments here. The irony of me watching/listening to this as I get ready for bed though… is high 😂

[@degloa4898]

Last week after some snow had stuck to the ground I had to spread some salt and gravel on a pathway. It was already pretty dark and I had forgotten my headphones. No neighbors or animals were outside as it was really cold. And as I was spreading the salt and gravel row by row I felt strangely content and calm. It was like the snow had muted the world and I could actually be in the world and of the world (to quote Audrey’s Sabrina) and just be. I feel like this was only possible due to solitude and maybe, just maybe, a glimpse at what might be possible if I made it a priority to be truly alone. :)

[@sidneyn1366]

Your journey has lined up so amazingly with my own. You are a few steps ahead of me which means I have a resource of inspiration and insight to turn to as I navigate what digital minimalism will mean for me. I began noticing a deep desire for projects in my life. Like I had when I was a kid. But I realized how little choice I had over my time and attention because of screen addiction. Thank you for sharing your journey. It is encouraging me to follow my intuition.

[@charlierewilding]

🙏🙌🏻 thank you for listening and sharing your experiences.

[@CS-xl9xv]

Two years ago I joined a zen center, a sangha and started meditating on a regular basis. I have gone on retreats at Deer Park Monastery (a Buddhist practice center in the Plum Village Thich Nhat Hanh tradition) I now enjoy the silence, the quiet, meditation and not being constantly stimulated or entertained. It has been life changing and your video resonated with me deeply

[@sarah62137]

I have two neurodivergent children, one is home educated but finds leaving the house difficult due to burnout. I’ve lost a group of ‘friends’ since my daughter was diagnosed and my partner works away so being on social media is the only ‘adult interaction’ I get some days. I’m not saying it’s good but it’s the only connection I have to the world outside my home most days.

[@shannonwebb1466]

I’ve been on a journey over the past 2 years with my relationship with technology and social media, having read books like How To Break Up With Your Phone, Stolen Focus and Digital Minimalism. I’m so glad I found your channel and a like minded person, as many people in my life don’t have the same thoughts about technology and social media. Over the past year I slowly deleted all my social media accounts; the final one was Facebook which I deleted in December. At first it was a bit of a shock to the system to realise I don’t have as many friends or I’m not as connected as social media makes you believe, but this video helped me realise the solitude I’ve started to experience and how much I enjoy it. It got to the point where opening Facebook and constantly seeing what other people were doing in their lives was making me feel sick. I’ve experienced so much more peace and compared myself much less now that I am no longer bombarded by input from other people. Thank you for your content 💛

[@charlierewilding]

I so relate to what you are sharing! 🫶

[@CocoKitty19]

Hello, Charlie ! I hope you're doing okay :) seeing your lil' face makes me so happy ! Your discomfort with solitude really resonnates with me. When I'm in solitude ("free from the input of other minds), my thoughts come like a tsunami, my depression flares up, my anxiety shows up too. I might be using technology to numb them, like someone would do with alcohol or drugs. Because of personal problems, I'm way more on my phone than last time we talked... I check the news (we changed Prime Minister so there's that), I frantically spoke with friends about my aforementioned problems, etc. It's all deeply rooted in anxiety. I'm back to biting my nails too. However, I did a 750 pieces puzzle in three days (during a weekend) ! It's so satisfying :D Also : THERE ARE EARBUDS TO GO IN WATER ? what the heck. I really enjoyed this video, I will definitely go back to it. I can't wait to hear more of what you have to say.

[@charlierewilding]

I'm sorry you're struggling with these things, and definitely don't be hard on yourself for doing what you need to cope and exist - I'm a nail biter too, and it's always a good sign things are flaring up!

[@bottlethehappy]

I just wanted to say thank you for sticking with KZbin, Charlie. I enjoy your content and writing. There is always something I resonate with. Cheers!

[@charlierewilding]

I appreciate that, thank you for sharing!

[@user-iz3ss5rb3z]

You inspired me to start reading digital minimalism and I’m enjoying it so far

[@Ayelet.M]

We are distracting ourselves from our feelings. Feelings that are uncomfortable. Even boredom is a feeling. I’m so happy I found your lovely community ❤ How does one reach out? (I’m guessing no IG 😅)

[@justinhambidge8811]

Great video. Living without smartphones and social media was just like it was in the 80’s. I always think how would it be best to introduce technology to our children and how old should they be.

[@emmelinesprig489]

Very thoughtful and thought-provoking.

[@natashab2304]

Thanks Charlie - this is really inspiring! It sounds like you are reaching a meditative state now when you're swimming, which is meant to be very beneficial! Definitely soothing for your nervous system! I'm going to try and be more mindful at certain times of the day too.. giving my mind a chance to just be! ❤

[@charlierewilding]

Love that!

[@kateriewing]

This was so helpful to me. Thank you.

[@Wilge_Zomer]

thanks for recommending digital minimalism! I turned a dumb phone this Christmas and only later discovered your channel and digital minimalism, its been a great journey so far.

[@charlierewilding]

🙏

[@Shaun_rennycinq]

Until Jan2023 i saw absolutely no value in books. Unless they were an instruction manual, because i love those. I took a chance buying 2 books by Kati Morton a LMFT who does youtube, her content spoke to me. Her books did too, then so did other books she recommended... im 3 books completed and nearly up to my 4th, which i started in Jan2024. Since destroying my smart phone late Dec23, ive had something that does phone stuff very well and only phone stuff... what you say about the endless back ground noise, 100% resonation with you! This week after seeing your video mentioning Technology Minimisation, yep its on its way. what came to mind for me is that books arent easy to publish, but when they are, they come with their wisdom printed, without any noise or distractions, you can FOCUS! the internet or anything online, you arent allowed to focus easily. its ironic that i say that, because i found your channel because of that. ok, so sometimes, very occasionally the distraction is useful 😉

[@Aliceauquotidien]

You are amazing ! Your vidéos are inspiring ❤

[@charlierewilding]

aw that's amazing to hear! 🫶🏻

[@alessazoe]

hey charlie, a few videos back you mentioned (among other things) that you plan to get back into reading more. I would love to hear more about this topic, as the details you mentioned resonated highly with me. I was such a bookwork until my early twenties and then I fell out of it, I guess while more and more social media krept into my life. I would love to get back into the habit of reading, but as you described, it’s hard work and at first such a low-dopamine activity. would love to learn more about the steps you take to overcome this issue, how it has been working for you etc.

[@Sunrisingoverdawn]

Thank you for sharing this ❤

[@charlierewilding]

No problem 😊

[@allyson--]

:~) I love the quotes you've shared like at 15:40 . How lovely you've made this change for yourself & even better it strengthened many facets of your life

[@allyson--]

Also, your hair is so cute!!

[@charlierewilding]

Thank you!!

[@vansf3433]

You can be alone even when there are a lot of people around you, and you can feel that you are not alone even when there is no-one around you. It's the difference between emotional reasoning and logical reasoning

[@mirtegeerts8025]

I'm really interested in how you do all this whilst being in a relationship, because my partner and I always watch tv together in the evenings and i find it hard to say no to that or dealing with the fact he uses a lot of screens (also for work) in our apartment (which is not that big). Would love to hear your thoughts on this one 😊

[@charlierewilding]

I relate to finding it hard to say no to watching TV with your partner in the evenings - but I wonder, does that have more to do with you than your partner? I only ask as for me this was definitely the case - I think I subconsciously thought I had to 'entertain' him when actually we love just being in each other's company even if we are doing different things. It helps that my partner is not a massive TV-watcher anyway. We still watch TV together, but now it's for maybe an hour and the rest of the evening is spent doing something else or in solitude.

[@hollyb6940]

I appreciate these videos! Solitude makes me so uncomfortable but i also think its what i need in life. I would love an update on this. Also once you are done with your detox, what bits do you think you will add back into your life? If any?

[@charlierewilding]

I'll keep sharing the journey!

[@toyin2376]

My head space was living in a marketplace with constant slew of information, i had to go into monk mode

[@vansf3433]

Individuals who need socializing are dependent thinkers, and easily inflenced by other people or external factors, whereas those who don't need socializing are independent thinkers, and other people or external factors cannot influence them

[@alistairreed3514]

being around others is draining AF