I Spent 13 Days On an Uninhabited Island, Alone!

A journey of self-discovery, introspection, and anxiety.

Like most people my age, my teenage years and early 20s were fast-paced and hectic.

I loved it!

Having just graduated uni, I took a 6-month break to visit my loving family and friends in Ethiopia. I also wanted to visit the neighboring countries and explore new cultures.

Going on an African Safari was at the top of my bucket list.

I went to Tanzania and did the Western Circuit Safari. It was exceptional. Read the full story here.

Having worked and done well for myself all throughout my college years, I managed to amass enough money to travel and afford all types of video game consoles, it was everything I ever wanted!

However, despite all of this, despite all my possessions, solo travel, and human experiences, I felt unfulfilled and empty inside.

I realized then that something was missing in my life, so I started working out like an olympian.

Instead of looking within, I wanted to bulk up. It wasn’t for health purposes, but rather to get noticed even more, the trap of external validation and all.

About a year into my training, I had gained 12 Kgs (26 lbs) of lean muscle. The difference was notable.

But I was still empty inside.

And right around then, anxiety hit.

It was late at night, somewhere between 2 and 3 AM. I was sleeping so well when suddenly I couldn’t breathe anymore.

I sat up in bed and desperately gasped for air, feeling as though an invisible force was crushing my chest. I felt a wave of intense fear wash over me. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it was going to burst out of my chest.

I tried to calm myself down by taking deep breaths, but it was no use. I felt like I was suffocating, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible was going to happen.

I stumbled out of bed and paced around my room, but the feeling of anxiety only seemed to get worse.

It was unreal. I was in complete shock, struggling, wondering if that was the end for me. At that point, it truly felt like I wasn’t going to make it till the morning. So I prayed.

I didn’t know anything about anxiety and panic attacks at that point. I didn’t recognize the symptoms, nor did I know about breathing techniques and muscle relaxation.

That was my second experience with anxiety, ever, as the first one came when I was 11 years old during a massive, 7.1 magnitude earthquake that killed 2,266 people.

I woke up the next day completely panicked. I called my doctor, booked an appointment and told her about what had just happened. We did a few tests, nothing was out of the ordinary if not for my slightly higher-than-usual blood pressure.

I felt a bit reassured but looked forward to doing my blood tests and electrocardiogram (ECG) to check my heart’s rhythm and electrical activity.

All the tests came back negative.

I couldn’t believe it. I expected, or even wished for something to be wrong. This nightmare had to have a root, and I was ready to fight it.

However, I ended up fighting a shadow.

My anxiety attacks became a part of my daily life. Even worse, I started experiencing panic attacks, which felt even more real and painful.

I was convinced that I wouldn’t make it past my 20s like this. After all, living in fear and panic was taking a toll on me, physically and mentally.

I gave up my workout routine. I stopped going out, stopped seeing friends. I lost my mojo and all the weight I had put on. All that hard work was for nothing.

I was slowly giving up on life. And as I did, I started feeling a deep longing to reconnect with God.

So one day, I decided to take a break from it all.

I set out on a journey to redefine my purpose and find the meaning of life, my life.

I didn’t know how long I was going for, but I knew I’d find the answer once I reached my destination.

I had already been to the Seychelles thrice in my life and knew that the Seychelles archipelago was made up of 115 islands, so at least one of them had to be uninhabited.

As it turns out, most of them are, barring 8 and some private islands.

Anyway, I wanted to be completely alone with my thoughts. As a survival enthusiast, I knew what I had to do to make it.

• Life on the island:

To reach the island, I rented a small fishing boat named “Scorpio”.

I know this sounds cliché but as soon as I set foot on the island, I felt a deep sense of peace and tranquility wash over me. It was magical.

The island was everything you’d expect it to be. Sunny and lush, its pristine beaches were the stuff of dreams.

I felt as if I had been transported to a different world, far away from the hustle and bustle of my then-life.

Upon disembarkment, the first thing to do was assess my surroundings and plan my stay.

I immediately started looking for a comfortable place to set up camp, knowing that sunset there was as early as 6PM.

I hoped for a spot with easy access to water but there wasn’t one, so I went for a little corner with shade to protect me and my stuff from the elements.

The first day went by really quickly.

The next day, however, I ventured into the forest looking for a freshwater source. The island was very green so it was only a matter of time before I found one.

And there it was.

In addition to the little freshwater source I found, I spotted all the reachable coconut trees around.

With that being said, relying exclusively on coconuts for hydration is a bad idea. Ever heard the saying “a tough nut to crack”? I’m pretty sure it alludes to coconuts.

Anyway, the second most important task ahead was to plan for food.

I had a few tin cans with me but they were never going to last a whole week, let alone 13 days. Luckily for me, the island had a few mango and banana trees here and there, and fruit bats were kind enough to share some with me.

I also had some survival gear to fish, so my food plan was now complete.

The last task on my to-do list was to gather as much wood as I possibly could. It wasn’t difficult, just time consuming, but it’s one of those things you do every other day, since I only needed it to cook.

Shelter: check. Water: check. Food: check. Wood: check.

Now that everything was in place, I knew I could take some time to explore the island and take in its natural beauty.

But first, sleep.

On the third day, after a royal breakfast involving cold leftover grilled fish, beans and a full mango, I decided to take a day hike to discover new areas. Keep in mind that sunrise was a few minutes before 6 AM, and sunset was somewhere between 6:10 and 6:20 PM. Sleeping in wasn’t an option.

And that’s where the journey into my soul began.

Everything I came across that day reminded me of God’s greatness. Everything!

To my surprise, my sense of tranquility slowly turned into a sense of gratitude.

To be able to wake up every day, to feel everything, to witness all there was to witness and experience life was in and of itself a blessing.

Everything around me felt amazing, my senses were enhanced. It was overwhelming at times.

The third day was exceptional and hands down one of the best days in my life. It felt so peaceful, so heavenly.

When the fourth day rolled out, I was ready to take advantage of all the solitude and tranquility the island offered.

Reflect, meditate, and journal, those were the plans for the day. I wasn’t the type of person to sit down and do nothing, so it was testing.

I started reading the Noble Quran in an attempt to find meaning. I didn’t know what I was looking for, but I read anyway. It was calming, reassuring and powerful at the same time.

The feeling reminded me of the gentleness and protection of my mother, and the pragmatism and firmness of my father. I could definitely feel the divine in what I was reading.

After what seemed like a couple of hours of meditative reading, I gave a prayer and went for a swim.

The process is what I’d label as “practicing mindfulness” today. However, this concept was foreign to me back then.

Disconnecting from the world and focusing on growth was paramount to my well-being and my fight against anxiety.

But it wasn’t just that.

To live outside all day, to be in direct contact with nature had an indescribable effect on me.

Grounding, for instance, is what I’d call it today. It’s this bodily effect we get after lengthy contact with the Earth’s natural electric charge. It stabilizes our bodies on a deep level and reduces inflammation, pain, stress and improves blood flow, energy and sleep.

Grounding was another contributor to my fight against anxiety.

Lastly, living with so little was so refreshing.

Those who’ve been following this blog for a while know how life-changing minimalism has been for me.

Minimalism entails more than just living with less, it entails living with the minimum necessary and making the best of what we have, which is exactly what I had to do back then.

The ”Leave No Trace” principle is also minimalism. To heal the earth is to heal others and that was becoming more clear to me as time went on.

Prophet Muhammed PBUH once explained the connection between Muslims with a beautiful analogy.

He said, “Muslims are like one body of a person; if the eye is sore, the whole body aches, and if the headaches, the whole body aches”.

That’s how I look at all living beings on our blue planet.

We’re all part of a global force. We came from the earth and will return to the earth, so to care and look after it is to care and look after the wellbeing of everyone else.

And so I wrote: “We’re all one on this earth. When one part of that body is ailing, the rest of the body is sick.”

Preserving natural beauty became part of who I am and was now going to become my purpose.

For the rest of my stay, I spent my time exploring the island, taking in all of its natural beauty.

I swam in the crystal clear waters, snorkeled, hiked through the small forest more times than I can count and watched the sun set over the ocean, day after day.

My sense of wonder and awe kept growing. It made me question many of my choices, it made me wonder why I wasn’t dedicating as much time as I could to the things I loved the most.

You see, life comes at you fast. It’s easy to get swamped with work and lose sight of your inner child.

This journey made me realize that.

I realized I wasn’t present enough, and that this island, as much as everything else, was a reflection of God’s beauty and majesty.

Reflecting on my life and my relationship with God on such a deep level was reassuring.

While it helped me realize that I was too focused on making money and acquiring material possessions, it also showed me that life is all about second chances.

This journey helped me find myself and remember that my purpose wasn’t to serve myself, but rather to serve humanity and God through teaching and education.

After all, it’s all I ever did.

I’ve always been the person people came to for clarity, even my elders.

My childhood dream was to become an action movie star. To some, movies are just a means to entertain oneself, but to me, there was always a hidden meaning that was worth exploring, a constant quest for wisdom.

I spent the rest of my time on the island in deep contemplation and prayer. I read the Noble Quran, meditated on its meaning and talked to God, seeking forgiveness, guidance and wisdom.

I had gained a profound feeling of peace and clarity, which I hadn’t felt in years.

• The end was the beginning.

On the 13th day, I returned back to the mainland feeling revitalized, refreshed and with a renewed sense of purpose.

I knew my fight with anxiety wasn’t over, but that I was on the right path to take back control of my life.

When your purpose includes honoring God and serving others, nothing can stop you anymore.

My journey into this beautiful island was a transformative experience and the lessons it taught me will stay with me for the rest of my life.

• P.S.: The root cause of my anxiety: the verdict.

As it turns out, the root cause of this major life event was none other than lactose intolerance.

It is a known fact that 80 percent of African-Americans and Native Americans are lactose intolerance, which I didn’t know back then.

Lactose causes a heap of problems to the body, which, again, I didn’t know back then.

Long story short, I indulged in dairy products as I believed they were a good source of protein for bodybuilders.

I suffered from stomach cramps, acid reflux, colon inflammation, bloating and nausea all my life. I always thought it was normal, that I was supposed to live with it. I never questioned dairy products since everyone around me, including doctors, deemed them healthy.

Little did I know.

Once I gave up dairy, all of my issues disappeared.

It took a few days for my body to flush it all out and a couple of weeks to heal. It was magic, I hadn’t felt that good in .. never!

But everything happens for a reason.

I hope you found some value and practical tips in my story.

If you did, please don’t forget to share and subscribe for more posts like this one. I write about minimalism, slow living, travel adventures, and van-living.

I also host a Top 100 International Podcast where my guests and I answer some of life’s most important questions.

Tee.