Catching up with friends last weekend, I noticed how many silent spaces there were in our conversations, and I notice the noise my mind started making whenever these spaces arose.
“Say something!” It screamed.
“They’ll think you’re boring!” it goaded.
Noticing this, I tried something; listening to the silence instead of trying to think of something to fill it with. What an interesting exercise this turned out to be! Silence is so refreshing when you listen to it and it somehow gives fresh energy to the sound that emerges next, like the cycles of day and night, sleep and waking. Silence seems to the mind to be a lack, the absence of something, but that absence is necessary for the next thing to arise, and the silence itself can be beautiful if we learn to listen to it.
Life follows these cycles too, with down time, periods of unemployment (or underemployment), quiet times at work, weekends with nothing planned etc. We often respond to these events with feelings of boredom and try to fill these times with “things” to keep us “occupied”, but we are missing the chance to stop, rejuvenate and refresh ourselves, to bring new energy to the next event. This constant activity leaves us tense, anxious and stressed, but all of this is unnecessary.
Try to notice these times, listen to silence, notice your breath in the moments of stillness. Spend your weekend in the moment, instead of wishing for something different and see what happens. I wonder what you will find?
Hey Oli,
Thanks for your honest open thoughts, like many others I’m sure, I can relate strongly to your words. The pressures we put on ourselves to say something or do something, to ‘busy’ ourselves is so real, yet so often unnecessary. It is difficult to hush that voice that demands distraction. Since I’ve been travelling I’ve noticed that voice a lot that is critical of the slower ‘pace’ of life I’m taking now.
I really like the idea of listening to silence!
Hope you’re being well
Sending stillness and light
Julia