Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self. – May Sarton

I am always an aspirant of solitude. I wish to have at least one hour in a day in complete isolation.

Some facts about solitude gathered from books:

Short-term solitude is often valued as a time when one may work, think or rest without being disturbed. It may be desired for the sake of privacy. It is a state of seclusion or isolation, i.e. lack of contact with people. It may stem from deliberate choice, contagious disease, disfiguring features, repulsive personal habits, or circumstances of employment or situation (see castaway).

The sense of solitude is significant for the integration of life. This complex affect is stated to accompany different levels of anxiety that can be worked through in the transference. While the normal sense of solitude is a manifestation of relative maturity, it is not readily tolerated by some analyzers when, in the form of a painful sense of loneliness, it signals the approach of the depressive position and of psychic integration. It is important for the psychoanalyst to have acquired a well-developed sense of solitude and insists that particular consideration be devoted to its presence in prospective candidates for psychoanalytic training.

A distinction can be made between physical and mental seclusion. People may seek physical seclusion to remove distractions and make it easier to concentrate, reflect, or meditate. However, this is not necessarily an end in and of itself. Once a certain capacity to resist distractions is achieved, people become less sensitive to distractions and more capable of maintaining mindfulness and staying inwardly absorbed and concentrated. Such people, unless on a mission of helping others, don’t seek any interaction with the external physical world. Their mindfulness is their world, at least ostensibly.

In any case this solitude is priceless!