Last week, I invited you to search for silence in your world. Were you able to find it? Did it find you?
I try, each afternoon, to take a walk around the golf course in a nearby neighborhood. The walk usually takes me about an hour and, in that time, I cover about three miles and one podcast. This daily walk is good for my body, but it’s also a gift to my mind and my soul. The older I get, the more I notice my desire to be outside, in the fresh air and sunshine. And this year, I realized I probably like walking outside in the winter more than in the summer. The cold air takes me back to our vacation in Germany, with its fine mist of snow and crinkly air.
Lately, on my walks, I’ve had a sense of agitation that rested just below the surface of my skin. The walking was good and the sunshine and fresh air coaxed me out of my jacket and expanded my lungs. But, something was off. I couldn’t quite figure it out until this article in the Huffington Post, found its way to me and reminded me, once again, of the benefits of silence.
What I realized is that, while my body was hitting the reset button during those afternoon walks, the podcasts I had been piping into my ears were keeping my mind far too busy and, as it turns out, a busy mind was blocking the reset button to my soul. I took the earbuds out of my ears and I’ve been walking in (relative) silence, ever since.
Of course, there are still the sounds of nature and of the neighborhoods and of life in general. But, rather than having to process those sounds the same way I process a podcast, I can simply observe those sounds and allow them to pass over and through and around me. I can choose to stop and pay attention to the cardinal in the branches overhead, while releasing the sounds of a jet-fueled airplane soaring by. I can choose the sounds which will soothe and heal my soul while letting my brain take a break, even if just for an hour. And, as it turns out, giving my brain a break might actually be making it stronger, after all.
Some questions for you: How much silence did you experience last week? What differences did you notice in your body, mind, and soul, as a result of spending time in silence? When you read the Huffington Post article, which benefits of silence were most appealing to you?
Deidra, in the running world, they call it (silence as opposed to music) “going naked.” All said, I use both silence and sound as accompaniment, and I appreciate each. Because my mind always seems so busy, I often use music or Gregorian chants, which I love, to quiet my mind. Guess I have more work on silence to do. As always, you make me think, and pray.
Thanks,
Chelle
the kind of music you mention doesn’t seem like noise. I have ADD and my mind has a hard time settling down. Music with words even starts my mind engaging. New age, non-melodic music works for me. For a couple weeks I have the privilege of being at the ocean. There the sound of the waves and wind is my music.
I am in silence most of the days. I love the quiet. It helps me process thoughts and just calms me. I think it calms me to the point of when there is a lot of noise I immediately want to leave, and move to silence. As the article said, it restores our thoughts to a better ‘path’. We went to a ‘restaurant’ not long ago with some friends and it was a brewery type young ’20-30’s hang out and it was SO loud we were all very glad to leave so we could enjoy conversation that was not ‘voice raised’. Yes I am old.
I love your article, but I miss the quiet. I have been battling depression and overall sadness for a while now. I have found that silence is not my friend. The negative voice in my head becomes louder in the silence. I have to find a way to stay busy. I can only have peace if I listen to my Christian music. When I have my music going , I can actually pray and speak to God. I am working to get back my peace in the silence, but at this time I am not able. I do enjoy your articles they give me things to think about. God bless
I’m finding that making space for silence during my walks is just as important as the time I spend praying or memorizing Scripture. Now I know why! Thanks for pondering this “out loud” here, because I think we need to hear that it’s ok for our brains to go into a blue screen mode now and then. I can be almost obsessive about information gathering.
Love this and it goes along with our Sabbath Society letter this week so I’m sharing with the community. I have to have a lot of silence. It’s a daily requirement for me to function. Thankfully I work from home in a quiet house.
I did not get much silence last week. It is difficult living in an apartment building with a hectic job. I try to take walks but I get distracted in our neighborhood. Hiking does it for me, in my beautiful home state of West Virginia. I relish the days I get to hike. I would steal away and do it more often but I’m afraid to go alone, so I have to wait for when my husband is available too. I also thoroughly enjoy yoga for silence. Not the meditation, but focusing on breathing and the movement of your body stretching. Focusing on the breathing and movement keeps my mind from wandering. I always feel a calm and renewal after both activities. Like, I’m getting back to me.
Deidra, I’ve been trying to walk more myself and purposely decided NOT to put in the earbuds and listen to worship music the last few times. I kept hearing the Holy Spirit say, “leave me some room to speak.” How do we expect to ever hear the voice of God (or our own thoughts) with all that noise? Even if it’s ‘good stuff.’ When my ears are free my eyes notice so much more….