Welcome to ‘Me Time’, Alonement’s new, weekly series of 10-minute mini episodes from the archives. We’ll be showcasing the very best wisdom from some of our favourite former guests, in bitesize episodes designed for those smaller pockets of Alonement that you get throughout your day.
I'm kicking off with a slice of Alonement history: an excerpt from the episode with philosopher, author & School of Life founder Alain de Botton, originally recorded in November 2019. It was actually the first ever episode I recorded of this podcast, and one of the few I got to record in person ahead of the pandemic – at Alain’s office in north London. This recording happened at a time where I was still shaping my own understanding of alonement, and why it matters. Alain was challenging, in a way that proved invaluable. There’s no instant magic in taking time alone, he argued. Long periods of time alone won’t lead to self-knowledge, just like that. Essentially, we need to think about what we’re doing in that alone time, and make sure we’re spending that time in a conscious way - in order to make it ALONEMENT. In this clip, he takes us through a practical exercise we can do when we’re alone: an exercise that involves asking ourselves hard questions about our relationships, our career, and our friends – in order to work out who we are, and what we want; to tune into our intuition, rather than let our major life decisions be dictated by external influences.
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Maggie Smith: Financial Independence, Relearning Vulnerability & Dating After Divorce
Alice Vincent: A Garden of One's Own
Leslie Stephens: The Joy of Living Alone, Plus How To Design a Home for One
Max Dickins: On Male Friendship & Overcoming Weekend Loneliness
Anita Bhagwandas: Finding a Social Balance When You Live Alone
Jessica Pan: The Introvert's Guide to Socialising
Poppy Jay: From Arranged Marriage to Falling in Love with Singlehood
Thomas Curran: The Dark Side of Perfectionism
Vex King: How To Practise Self-Love Through Your Actions
Ruby Warrington: My Marriage Wouldn't Work With Children
Donna Lancaster: Alone Is Where I Meet Myself
Naoise Dolan: Autism, (Un)happy Couples & The Joy Of Being A Foreigner
Caggie Dunlop: Overcoming Anxious Attachment In A Relationship
Adam Gopnik: Solitude And The City, Edward Hopper & The Joy Of Being Alone In A Crowd
Dr Nicole Lepera: How A Fear of Being Alone Feels In Your Body
Amy Key: Single For 22 Years – A Life Story Told Through Joni Mitchell Songs
Susan Cain: The 'Quiet' Author On Free Falling Through Her Early 30s, Plus Why She Married An Extrovert
Introducing... The Shoulds
Me Time | Konnie Huq: Why Everyone Needs Anchors
Dr Marisa G. Franco: Why ‘Secure’ Attachment & Alone Time Go Hand In Hand
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