Alone Time: Embracing Solitude for Health and Well-being

by Sybil Geldart

Being alone gives you the chance to think about yourself and your needs and goals without undue pressure, distractions or interference.

The importance of personal space in a changing world.

In Alone Time, clinical psychologist and professor of psychology Sybil Geldart, PhD draws on personal anecdotes, case studies, and research to help you live well despite an ever-changing world.

Taking time on your own allows you to take a slower, more deliberate pace and explore inner strengths, set goals and overcome problems.

Practicing solitude is an age-old part of Eastern traditions of health and well-being, and ensuring some personal space and time alone – when self-initiated – will help you live a more fulfilled life. In Alone Time, Dr. Geldart shows how solitude allows us time for self-reflection, to gain self-knowledge, and to seek a better understanding of others.

Perfect for all life stages, from school-leavers and young professionals on, Alone Time includes tips, advice and exercises to help boost mental health and attain that elusive work–life balance. Dr. Geldart also shows how voluntary distancing has numerous benefits in life – from work and study to overcoming stress and anxiety, and, most of all, in being emotionally healthy and inspired to work towards a healthy and happy future.

240 pages, Hardcover

Published March 5, 2024

About the author

Dr. Sybil Geldart holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Waterloo, a Master of Arts from Western University and a PhD from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. She is an associate professor of psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University, with research interests broadly based in human development and health psychology. She has served as vice-chair of the university's Research Ethics Board, vice-chair of University Senate and assistant dean of program development in the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences.

Sybil has more than 28 years of university instructing and currently teaches in the areas of abnormal psychology, clinical psychology and special education. Outside of the university she has a part-time clinical practice and is a registered psychologist with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. She is trained in cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based therapeutic approaches for adults, adolescents and children. Both in teaching and her clinical practice, Sybil equips adults and young people with a toolbox of coping and life skills to help deal with the many stressors we all face at work and school.

Reviews

[Elyse Welles · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was gifted this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The biggest issue I had with this was that it didn’t really talk very much about being alone, the benefits of it, or the ways to do it. Instead it started off talking about the pandemic, which already feels dated and frankly a bit irrelevant, and this thread of an extrovert finding their way to peace during lockdown was really the main theme and I didn’t think that made a lot of sense or was widely applicable. And then the chapters just sort of talked about general health and balance. Not much focus on the solitude part.

I also was really bothered that she makes a disclaimer in the beginning of the book that this is a book illustrated with client stories, but that some of them have been made up or embellished. I don’t know why she wouldn’t just present them as hypotheticals then, why would they be presented as Client stories? It felt dishonest and confusing. I also found it interesting that when she did present client scenarios, sometimes the issue I thought she would point out she actually ignored. For example, somebody mentioning that they check their emails within 30 minutes of waking up and that they were stressed about work life balance, she didn’t mention that that might be related.

All in all I would skip this one, I’m sad to say. I had high hopes, especially with a PhD author with so many years of experience. But unless you are an extrovert, who has never really spent time alone, or contemplated why it was good for you, this is not a book worth your time.

[Gabrielė Meškauskienė · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pastaruoju metu tenka vis dažniau laiko praleisti ilgose kelionėse autobusu ir ar gali būti geresnė proga išsitraukti self-help knygą?
Sybil Geldart "Alone time" pasirinkau dėl labai patogaus skyrių suskirstymo, kuriuos galima skaityti kaip trumpus patarimus ir tikėdamasi, kad ji atskleis paslaptis kaip tapti labiau savarankiška. Ir, nors pati knyga neatitiko mano lūkesčių - atradau nemažai man atliepiančių vietų.
Įdomesnis knygos faktas - ji pradedama ne tik pasakojimu apie tai kaip Covid-19 pakeitė mūsų pasaulį, bet ir nemaža instrukcija kaip reikėtų "naudotis" knyga ir jos patarimais.
Patys patarimai yra labai kičiniai- "atraskite hobį, medituokite, vaikščiokite, susikurkite savo "alone time" kampą", tačiau labiausiai patikusios mintys yra šios:
Self-help knygos padeda tik pirmosiomis liūdesio ir pasimetimo fazėmis, todėl, sunkesniais atvejais derėtų kreiptis į specialistus.
Jei knygoje neatradai patinkančių kabliukų - viskas gerai. Ji šiuo metu tau netinka (arba netiks) arba tiesiog neatliepia tavo situacijos.
Kiekvienam "alone time" yra kažkas savo ir tai, kas tinka tavo draugams/šeimai, nebūtinai tinka tau, todėl drąsiai išbandyk net beprotiškiausias idėjas.
Rankdarbiai yra puikus hobis, kuris leidžia jausti pasitenkinimą dėl pabaigto darbo, tačiau ir čia reikėtų nepersistengti ir pradėti nuo smulkesnių darbų.

Labai lengvas ir neįpareigojantis skaitinys, kuris visai paliko pėdsaką mintyse

[Judith Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr. Geldart gets kudos for tackling a topic post pandemic that is very much misunderstood. Alone time, is not lonely. Too often, the only alone time people spend with themselves is with a device scrolling. I appreciate Dr. G’s commitment to giving the reader activities and ideas they should don with their alone time, however I believe the book would’ve been a bit more impactful with the knowledge of “why” alone time can be beneficial. Although she does address solitude and self awareness/regulation, much of the book is on the “what” to do. Which too were helpful! Overall, good read if you’re looking for ideas to do during the practice of solitude.

[Letitia Barron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book would be about solitude but it was really just the stock standard self help book on all the basics like breathing, anxiety distractions, exercise to rid the depression. There really wasn’t anything specific about being alone, that was not general self help knowledge. It wasn’t terrible but definitely disappointing

[elena dahae · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

Solitude is often seen as something negative, but it should be seen as something positive... The key is to understand what solitude is about. In a nutshell, acquiring some personal space and solitude will help you become mindful.

Many topics were included: maintaining good posture leads to good self-control, exercising, breathing, keeping a personal space, and staying mindful.

I don't mind reading this book, although it was a slight bit boring to read. Overall, this book is good for someone who wants to dive deeper into solitude and find your personal space.

[Nicola Pennell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of the things it recommends are very similar to other ‘self help’ books, not particularly that focused on alone time. I also felt the constant talk about covid / lockdown is not needed in 2025 (maybe I would have felt it was ok if I read this in 2020).

[Suzanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very basic, states the obvious and too much lockdown talk. Need to move forward. Disappointed, will take to the op shop!

[Albert Venditti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, to help you contact those times when you are alone. A pleasure to read. The author is very enlightening.

[Abi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Helpful, but some problems.. There were times when I had re-read because I didn't understand the sentence, and there was also a part about amount of physical activity that adults should be doing everyday which was totally wrong! I fact checked and sure enough, it was not the same as on the website. it was probably a typo or something.

https://www.who.int/publications/i/it...

Adults should do at least 150–300 minutes A WEEK, not A DAY like the book was saying.

[C Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it more as a guide to general wellbeing than a tool to help with solitude. There are definitely great tools in this book, and some chapters deal with the importance of "AloneTime" but many don't. The biggest negative I would say is the consistent COVID theme throughout the book, which has already become more or less obsolete. I feel this would be much better had the author gone over the text post-COVID and made it less of a subject, especially as this has been released a few years after lock downs and isolation have ceased. A lot of the chapters, though still applicable to daily life, view situations through the lens of a global pandemic, which makes them seem out of touch. Overall, this was a short and worthwhile read. I would love to see further work from this author.