Board orders deportation for trucker in horrific Humboldt Broncos crash
The truck driver who caused the horrific bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team has been ordered to be deported.
In a virtually constantly connected world, the notion of solitude seems elusive, even daunting, and being alone is often thought of in a negative context.
But solitude is not the same as loneliness, and when people choose to spend time by themselves, it can actually be beneficial, according to Robert Coplan, a professor of psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa.
The key is to understand the difference between the two, Coplan told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview.
Solitude, he emphasizes, is the deliberate choice to spend time alone, a concept often misunderstood and conflated with loneliness.
“It is possible to feel lonely when you are not alone,” he said. “Adolescents will tell us they feel lonely sitting at the dinner table with their family.
“And, of course, it's also possible to be by yourself and not feel lonely.”
Loneliness, on the contrary, is the discrepancy between how much time someone wants to be with others versus the time they actually spend alone. This manifests as a negative feeling which can be harmful to people’s health, he said.
People who frequently feel lonely report poor mental health and lower levels of satisfaction, according to a survey by Statistics Canada.
The survey, titled “Canadian Social Survey – Well-being, Activities and Perception of Time,” reported close to half (49 per cent) of those who said that they always or often felt lonely indicated their mental health was either fair or poor. In comparison, a smaller share (seven per cent) of those who said they rarely or never feel lonely, indicated fair or poor mental health.
This data was collected between August and September of 2021, to provide the first direct measure of loneliness felt by Canadians more than one year into the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Nobody's disputing that loneliness is bad, and unwanted time alone, unwanted solitude is bad,” said Coplan.
But when people choose to spend time alone, that’s when the benefits of solitude arise, he said.
Some of the benefits include reducing stress and feelings of anger and frustration, Coplan said.
Coplan said there’s no “one-size-fits-all” approach to spending time alone as each person is different. It’s a matter of discovering one’s own “Goldilocks spot,” the optimal balance between alone time and engaging with others, he explained.
Coplan said he and his colleagues’ research highlights how even spending as little as 15 minutes a day alone can evoke a calming effect on emotions, lasting even a week after the solitary activity.
While practicing solitude, it’s important to do engaging activities, he said. So, instead of browsing social media or scrolling through messages on your phone – which Coplan argues doesn’t count as solitude – he recommends meditating, going for a walk, reading a book, listening to music or practicing a craft or hobby.
Coplan said solitude should be personalized to meet each individual’s needs.
“We can be our authentic, true selves (during this time). We can do what we want to do. There's no constraints. There's a liberation to that kind of experience,” he added.
Coplan also said there are fewer opportunities for unstructured solitary play time for children in schools.
“Kids are losing their ability to play by themselves… And when they are alone, more often than not, they're on a screen,” he said.
Coplan adds forced alone time is often used as a disciplinary action.
“Parents give you timeout if you’re doing something wrong. So, that’s the negative side of solitude,” he said.
This, he argues, may inadvertently hinder the development of crucial solitary skills.
“Just like everybody needs to develop their social skills, and their capacity to be with others, we also need to develop solitary skills and our capacity for solitude,” he said.
Ultimately, Coplan’s three-decade-long research urges a reconsideration of solitude, positioning it not as a solitary confinement, but as a realm for self-discovery, creativity, and rejuvenation.
Coplan is presenting his research at a free hybrid event on Sep. 13 at noon.
The truck driver who caused the horrific bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team has been ordered to be deported.
The three people killed in last weekend's tragic collision between a speedboat and a fishing boat north of Kingston are being remembered Friday.
Now that temperatures have warmed up even more this spring, you may be anxious at the thought of bugs invading your home or you may already be battling the pests. Here are expert tips on how to keep them away.
Exhausted and short on options after consulting two veterinary clinics, Kristie Pereira made the gut-wrenching decision last year to take her desperately ill puppy to a Maryland shelter to be euthanized.
A gunman who is accused of killing a young Ontario man and shooting four of his family members at their small Mississauga restaurant in 2021 was allegedly part of a trio who had pledged allegiance to the listed terrorist group Islamic State, a Crown attorney said in an opening statement in the Brampton murder trial this week.
After another case of H5N1 avian flu linked to dairy cows was confirmed in a second dairy farmer in the United States, some Canadian experts say the federal government needs to expand surveillance of the virus north of the border.
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
BARK Air wants to pamper pets and their owners even before takeoff and will make its initial flight from New York to Los Angeles on Thursday.
A sexually transmitted infection (STI) that was once thought to be a thing of the past is now a public health priority for North American doctors.
When one is extended an invitation to the Royal Garden Party in London, England, there's undoubtedly no shortage of pomp and circumstance. Barrie, Ont. natives Megan Kirk Chang and her husband Brandon experienced just that as they entered the prestigious event hosted at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
An unlikely celebrity emerged from social media to cheer on the Edmonton Oilers as they face the Dallas Stars tonight in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
The proprietors of Regina's sole discount theatre are aware they're carrying on a significant legacy.
When Jujhar Mann said he wanted to be a pastry chef on a grade school career project, he didn't imagine that pursuing his dream would land him on a popular Netflix baking competition.
A city known for its history, ties to outer space and southern barbecue, is also home to a Winnipeg chef dishing out dozens of perogies.
A Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
Public libraries in Atlantic Canada are now lending a broader range of items.
Flashes of purple darting across the sky mixed with the serenading sound of songs will be noticed more with spring in full force in Manitoba.
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.