Let’s start this article first with an exercise. I want you to take a moment – 15 seconds – to sit in absolute silence. Without any guidance going in, I want you to do what feels right with those 15 seconds of silence.
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As you come out of this brief moment of silence, think about what you experienced in that time. What did you feel? What urges came over you? Did you have the urge to grab your phone? Finish this article? Think about your next meal or a task at work?
Everyone does something a little different with silence. For some, it’s peace. For others, it’s torture. But, silence is a tool we all have an opportunity to learn from and use to our advantage – especially when everything is a bit too LOUD.
At Integrated Therapies, we believe in the power of silence and the ability to just be still. We talk a lot about body exercises and therapy and counseling and letting it all out and the power of play, but let’s talk about true silence and the nothing that comes with it.
You Don’t Have to Fill Every Moment
Our world is a wonderful, vast, and busy place. There’s always something going on around us that we can engage with. At our fingertips exists the technology to access any facts, story, song, game, or task we desire to fill our time. These momentary releases of dopamine reward us for scratching that itch whenever it creeps in – creating a sort of addiction that’s never really satiated.
But, what if you fought back and recaptured the little moments of silence that fill the gaps? Even in this wild and wonderful world, there will always be moments of silence. Some call it boredom. You could call it peace.
Charles Bukowski once said “Only boring people get bored. They have to prod themselves continually in order to feel alive.” Now, we want to take the harsh edge off that and admit that we get bored, too! Everyone gets bored. But, you don’t have to be overcome by boredom every time there is silence in your world.
Meditation
Of course, any conversation about seeking to capture peace in silence will circle back to meditation. “But you just said you don’t have to fill every moment.” We did. Look at meditation as a way of allowing silence to fill you as opposed to you filling it.
Meditation is an exercise in peace and acceptance of the moment you’re in. People use meditation for a variety of reasons and do so in a variety of ways. It’s not just sitting in a quiet room with your eyes closed.
There is walking meditation where you find your way to a beautiful outdoor spot and take a peaceful walk. There is guided meditation where you let someone guide your thoughts and feelings in a moment of serenity. There is Vipassana Meditation, characterized by paying close attention to the sensations your body feels in the moment to create a true mind-body connection.
Meditation can be your mediation between silence and the noise of the world.
Find Your Silence
Let’s practice the silent moment from the beginning of this article one more time. This time, let’s find one element of the silence that satisfies you that you want to hold onto as you come out of this brief moment of silence. Ready? Take 15 seconds again.
3 … 2 … 1 …We don’t expect that this brief article will solve the fight against silence, but we hope you feel empowered to welcome silence more often and are open to ways to wield silence as a tool to create peace in your world. At Integrated Therapies, we believe in using all the tools available to us to foster growth and transition toward a better self. Let’s talk.