I was at the dog park early one morning. The clouds overhead were thick and low, muting any ambient noise. I breathed deeply, filling my lungs with the stillness, and felt a moment of pure peace.
Those moments, when the world goes quiet, can be so powerful! We are bombarded with lights, colours, and noise (so much noise!) all the time. While there’s nothing wrong with stimulation – humans are wired for sensory input, after all – taking a break from noise has some real benefits. By removing ourselves, even for a few moments, we give our nervous system a chance to reset, we give our body a chance to relax, and we give our mind a chance to slow down.
Honestly, I used to be scared of silence. I worried that, without distraction, I would spiral down into a well of difficult thoughts and feelings and never be able to climb out. What I discovered, slowly and with a lot of practice, was that taking a break from chaos and distraction was actually part of my healing journey. In addition to all the benefits I mentioned earlier, for me, silence is where I tune into my own intuitive understanding and figure out what’s going on, what I need and what is getting in my way.
So, today I encourage you to consider how you might invite moments of silence into your day. Could you mute the TV or podcast for one minute? Is there some small sliver of time when the baby is napping or the kids have left for school where you could just breathe for a moment before you spring into action? Might you pause to take in the silence before you get out of bed or before you drift off to sleep?
Whatever you try, I hope you learn, as I did, that stillness can be a beautiful thing.
Thoughts? Comments? Leave in the comments section below.
