Solitude is often a misinterpreted term. People often end up equating it being lonely, sad, or disconnected from the world. Thus it is often seen in a negative light. But in the true sense of the word, ‘solitude’ means alone time, aka the time you spend with yourself. And spending time with yourself doesn’t necessarily mean loneliness. It simply means the time you carve out from your hectic schedule to spend on your own, to reset your brain, to rewire your body, and to rejuvenate your soul.

Let's get one misconception out of the way right off the bat: self-care is not the same thing as self-indulgence, nor is it the same thing as being selfish. Practicing self-care entails attending to your own needs in order to ensure that you are in good physical and mental health, that you are able to perform the duties of your occupation, that you are able to offer assistance and care to other people, and that you are able to achieve everything you need to and want to in a given day.

The concept of time is a funny thing, and often bizarre. Depending on a lot of variables, time perception changes for everyone. Sometimes a past vacation seems like the events of yesterday whereas the occurrence of a week ago feels like a faraway memory. Daunting exam days come much faster than anticipated but waiting for holidays feels like forever. Among many unpredictable variables, only one thing is certain that as you grow older time flies by a lot faster than before. You seldom get the chance to actually savor the moments and before you know it, another day comes to an end without much significance. So how to slow down time and how to appreciate every moment of life a little bit more?