Truly being alone

[Scythe13]

When I backpacked coast to coast across Scotland, I spent days on end not seeing anyone. Totally self-reliant. I loved it, but it does mess with your head. One day, about two thirds of the way across, I was walking along and just started sobbing like a kid. No reason why. I didn't feel bad or desperate. Wasn't in pain. It passed after a few minutes. I felt loads better afterwards.

I think you have to practise and experience being alone. It's the only way to prepare for it. if you can do that, then it's one less thing to have to come to terms with in a survival situation.

100% with you on this mate.

The thing that surprised me the most, before being 100% alone, I thought "Yeah I can do that. EASY!" But the reality of it is quite different. Usually, in my experience, the people whom boast most about being alone, are the ones whom are alone, through choice, and perceive that to be the same as being truly alone. The programme really highlighted this for me.

A question for you, before you actually spent time alone and went for long periods without human contact, did you assume (like I did) that it would be easy?

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But MB is right, the programme holds great standing for proper analysis. I hear a new thread coming on...

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BP, when you talk about being alone, that's cool that you can cope with that. I like a bit of alone time, but find forced alone-time to be much harder. We always want what we can't have, so being forced to be alone is much harder for me…because even when I don't want the human contact, not having the option of it has made me want it.

What kinds of situations have forced you to be alone? How have you coped with those situations?