Hi, I’m Parul Sharma, and I made Solitude Sanctuary.
I started this site because I wanted a quiet corner of the internet. Not a place that tells you to do more, fix more, or become someone new by Monday. Just a place to slow down, breathe a little, and spend some time with your own thoughts.
A lot of what I write about sits in the parts of life we tend to skip over when things get busy. The grief that doesn’t come with a funeral. The person you miss who is still very much alive. The version of yourself you’ve quietly outgrown. The relationship that ended without a real goodbye or an explanation. These losses are hard to name, and because they’re hard to name, they’re easy to carry alone for a long time. Giving them words won’t make them disappear. It can make them feel less strange, though.
I also write a lot about solitude. I think being alone gets a bad reputation. Yes, quiet can be uncomfortable at first. Your mind gets loud. Old conversations replay. You reach for your phone without deciding to. But if you stay a little longer, silence often shows you what was there all along: tiredness, longing, things you’ve been calling “fine.” That’s not a problem to solve. It’s information.
Which brings me to phones. Some of my posts are about digital minimalism, though not the strict, throw-your-phone-in-a-lake kind. I’m more interested in small things. A walk without headphones. Tea without scrolling. A pause between tasks. Little gaps where your attention gets to come back to you.
And then there’s self-awareness, which is really what ties everything together for me. Noticing a thought without obeying it. Spotting the patterns you repeat. Telling the difference between reflecting and overthinking (I’m still working on that one). Understanding yourself isn’t about finding one final answer to “Who am I?” It’s about becoming more familiar with the person living your life.
My hope is simple. If you read something here and think “oh, it’s not just me,” then this place is doing its job.
What you’ll find here
- Ambiguous Loss & Emotional Complexity: grief without closure, missing someone who is still alive, and the in-between feelings that come with big life changes.
- The Art of Quiet Living: solitude, silence, and making a little more room in a noisy, always-online day.
- The Unseen Human: self-awareness, overthinking, identity, and the inner life most of us don’t show anyone.
A gentle note
Everything on Solitude Sanctuary is personal reflection. I’m not a therapist or a doctor, and nothing here is professional mental-health advice. If you’re struggling, please reach out to a qualified professional or someone you trust. If you’re in crisis, contact your local emergency services or a crisis helpline.
Say hello
If something here stayed with you, or you’d like me to write about something, I’d love to hear from you. You can reach me through the Contact page.
Thank you for being here. Take your time.
— Parul