Mindfulness and meditation have become mainstream practices in contemporary times, yet our society demands urgency and proliferates stimulation.
We are all so busy doing the activity of life we miss the information and insight available to us by experiencing the quiet of just being.
How does one find a sense of inner calm, tranquility and order when the external world feels chaotic, aggressive and disordered?
Over the last 25 years we have become inexplicably tied to the internet, obsessed with video content and requiring instantaneous information. Screens are on our desks, in our pockets and even in most restaurants…social spaces designed for us to connect with other people face-to-face in quiet conversation.
Like children who become over-stimulated and over-whelmed, adults need our quiet time too. Physicist and writer Alan Lightman warns that if we fail to carve out quiet time to be mindful that we will continue to become mindless. By taking physical and emotional ‘time-outs’ from other people, from our “to do” lists and away from the clamor of the world wide web, we can:
- reduce blood pressure and increase patience
- rebalance and refocus energy
- enhance consciousness and creativity
Health and wellness programs are a mainstay of corporate culture and employee development, however entrepreneurs who inhabit often neglect to include “employee wellness” in their strategic plan. It is up to each individual to find what will help them avoid burnout and create the space for new ideas to be revealed and inner wisdom to be heard.
For some of us the thought of being still and silent provokes rather than quells anxiety…we must get creative. Maybe we can carve out some quiet time in the car when we’d normally listen to the radio, on a walk when we are usually checking emails or news updates on our phones, coloring or doodling while waiting for someone at a coffee shop or in the shower where the noise in our heads often drowns out the rhythm of the water.
If those voices tell you that you don’t have time to be quiet, maybe it’s time to tell them to shut up.
Experiencing quiet is simple, it just isn’t always easy. Like anything you do to improve your physical and emotional well-being, it requires openness, intention and practice. As you navigate the hustle-and-bustle of your external reality, remember that a little bit of quiet will enable you to fully hear and appreciate inner-peace.