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Hanging out alone -

There are few more daring and death-defying leisure pursuits in the world than free solo climbing—a form of technical ice or rock climbing where climbers climb alone without ropes or harnesses. The most celebrated exponent of free solo climbing is Alex Honnold (pictured), who in 2017 made the first free solo ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Writing in isolation -

Writing, for the most part, is a lonely job. It demands spending extended periods by yourself working on articles, stories, or books, often without feedback from others. Some of the most celebrated literary works have been produced by writers who deliberately isolated themselves in order to concentrate on the task at hand. A famous example is George Orwell (1903–1950), who spent months in seclusion at Barnhill farmhouse on the island of Jura in the Scottish Hebrides (pictured) to complete his novel 'Nineteen Eighty-Four.' (Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 2.0)

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Working unsociable hours -

How many of us work unsociable hours? Indeed, anti-social hours are common among shift workers and can affect sleep patterns and social life. This, in turn, can lead to feelings of isolation, which can result in depression.

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Solitary confinement -

A form of imprisonment still practiced in many countries around the world, solitary confinement is distinguished by living in single cells with little or no meaningful contact with other inmates. The longest time any prisoner has spent in solitary confinement in the modern era is 35 years.

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Camping out alone -

Many adventure tourists take on the challenge of camping solo. A weekend out in the wilderness can force you to face your fears, try new things, take on new experiences, and learn something new about yourself. Just remember to share your plans with someone else, and always pack an emergency device.

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Solo circumnavigation of the world by boat -

Sailing a yacht single-handed around the world is an isolated adventure requiring great skill and physical and mental endurance. The first person to do this was Joshua Slocum (1844–1909) in a sloop oyster boat named Spray (pictured).

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Castaway -

Alexander Selkirk (1676–1721) spent four years and four months as a castaway after being marooned on an uninhabited island in the South Pacific Ocean. His epic story of survival was widely publicized after his return to England, becoming a source of inspiration for writer Daniel Defoe's titular character in 'Robinson Crusoe.' The book page reads: 'The Life and Adventures of Alexander Selkirk, the Real Robinson Crusoe.'

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The recluse -

Anyone who lives in voluntary seclusion from the public and society is known as a recluse. The word is from the Latin recludere, which means "shut up" or "sequester." Celebrity recluses include business magnate, aviator, and film director Howard Hughes (1905–1976).

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Hikikomori -

In Japan, the phenomenon known as hikikomori takes the reclusive lifestyle to a darker level whereby adolescents or adults withdraw from society and seek extreme degrees of isolation and confinement. Hikikomori have been described as loners, or "modern-day hermits." Pictured: a young Japanese man living as a hikikomori. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 3.0)

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Spacewalk -

How's this for social distancing! Space Shuttle Challenger mission specialist Bruce McCandless II is pictured making the first untethered spacewalk above the Earth in 1984 using the Manned Maneuvering Unit—a nitrogen jet propelled backpack.

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Personal space -

A groundskeeper pictured in the late 1950s carries a chalking frame as he sets out the zones around home plate at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York City.

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Long-distance hike -

Hiking long-distance serves both as a physical exercise and as a way of combating the symptoms of stress and anxiety. Hiking alone adds a sense of empowerment and achievement, while encouraging you to become more independent and resourceful. As a safety precaution, remember to leave details of your route with a third party.

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Shepherd -

A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards herds of sheep. Shepherding is among the oldest occupations, beginning as far back as 5,000 year ago. Shepherds traditionally lived apart from society, being largely nomadic. Even today, it can be a solitary undertaking.

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Soul-searching -

Embarking on a pilgrimage is to journey often into an unknown or foreign place in search of new or expanded meaning about the self, others, nature, or a higher good. It's often undertaken alone, as depicted in this photograph of a single person walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain.

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Cat burglar -

Thieves who climb up walls to reach an upper window of a building are traditionally known as cat burglars. They invariably work alone, relying on their stealth and agility to gain access to high-rise apartments, undetected before plundering the premises and then escaping into the night.

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Hitbodedut -

Hitbodedut refers to practices of self-secluded Jewish meditation. It's a style of prayer first popularized by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810)—an act of open, spontaneous, and direct communication with God.

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Lighthouse keeper -

Most lighthouses are today fully automated. But there are still staffed lighthouses in many countries around the world. Historically, lighthouses were operated solely by men, usually for a month, after which they were allowed a period of four weeks ashore with their families.

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Walking on the moon -

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. He and fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin (pictured) spent several hours on the lunar surface, 384,400 km (238,355 mi) from every other living soul on Earth.

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Standup paddleboarding -

It's not uncommon to see people indulging in this outdoor sporting activity, standing on their boards and using a paddle to propel themselves through the water, sometimes a fair distance from the shore and anyone else.

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Spanish flu -

The Spanish flu pandemic lasted from January 1918 to December 1920, and is estimated to have killed anywhere from 17 million to 50 million people. Social isolation was enforced in many countries to try and contain the spread of the virus, and measures were undertaken to sanitize public places and various modes of public transport (pictured).

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Decompression chamber -

A decompression chamber is used to allow divers to complete their decompression stops at the end of a dive, on the surface rather than underwater. It can take up to 24 hours for the body to return to its normal atmospheric levels of inert gas saturation after a dive. Pictured: a British Navy diver in a decompression chamber, c. 1945.

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Lost in a maze -

Why do people deliberately choose to get lost in a maze? Besides the fun factor of finding a route through from start to finish, navigating a maze is often used in psychology experiments to study spatial navigation and learning. This is invariably undertaken in a single capacity, as concentrating on a maze can improve the cognitive thought process and help with memory too.

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Gimme shelter -

A 1950s fiberglass-reinforced plastic portable shelter composed of 12 separated sections, each interchangeable with any other. Each 20-foot shelter can comfortably accommodate 12 men barracks-style, or be converted for individual occupancy.

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Social distancing -

Maintaining social distancing to prevent the spread of contagious disease is nothing new. Seven hundred years ago, for example, leper colonies and lazarettos (quarantine stations) were established as a means of preventing the spread of leprosy. Pictured: two lepers denied entrance to a town, as depicted in a 14th-century woodcut by Dominican friar Vincent of Beauvais.

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Night watchman -

Basically a security guard who works at night and often alone, these individuals are responsible of protecting assets—property, people, equipment, money, etc.—from theft, damage, and suchlike. The term "watchman" dates back to medieval Europe, where there was no form of law enforcement. Pictured: a night watchman keeps himself warm by a brazier while guarding road works in Eastleigh, England in 1938.

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Working with animals -

Some people prefer the company of animals, and make a living out of working with wildlife. If you like domesticated animals, you can make walking pups a profession.

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Distance working -

Whether by design or default, these 1930s construction workers find themselves working at a distance from one another as they maintain the girders of a covered terrace at a stadium.

See also: Coronavirus culprits: Bizarre excuses people made to violate lockdown.

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