You’ve probably experienced various times in your life when you felt tired, overloaded, and out of gas. You realized you were just getting up and going through the required motions each day, only to start all over again the next morning. When you feel this way, luckily, there are many things you can do to bring yourself back to life.
Have you ever thought of utilizing silence to re-charge your physical and emotional states? Planning to have some silence in your life every day or two can be a great way to renew and refresh. Because noise is all around you all the time, you’ve probably become accustomed to the assault on your ears; however, it can still suck away your energy and negatively affect you.
Try these strategies to use the positive effects of peace and quiet to re-invigorate your life:
1. Plan a time for silence. Thirty minutes is an effective amount of tranquility to experience each day. If you’re unsure whether you can deal with peace and quiet for 30 minutes at a time, consider starting out with just 15 minutes.
2. Ponder how you’ll spend your quiet time. Activities like browsing a recipe book, reading, or scanning the morning newspaper are appropriate ways to spend your time sans noise.
3. Consider trying some type of meditative experience during your tranquil times. Sitting and thinking about something that brings you joy is a wonderful way to use your noiseless moments. Recalling the last time you spent with your best friend or thinking about what you want to improve within yourself are wonderful ways to spend your episodes of silence.
4. Engage in muscle relaxation to truly get in touch with your ability to relax during your quiet times. Progressive relaxation, where you alternate between tensing and relaxing each of the muscle groups will dovetail nicely with your episodes of peace.
5. Enjoy the silence. Concentrate on the lack of noise. Notice even the smallest sounds of the refrigerator gurgling or the tree branches brushing lightly against the side of the house. Notice the sounds of nature, whether it’s wind, rain, or frogs and birds chattering to one another. Perhaps these are sounds you wouldn’t normally hear but now you can.
6. Increase the duration of your episodes of silence, as you wish. When you begin making it a point to experience silence daily, you’ll be surprised how much you enjoy it. You’ll realize you’ve been craving the wonderful feelings of renewal that only silence can bring.
7. Feel free to detach further from your music and the television. Being still with just yourself, your thoughts, reading, or quiet hobbies will refresh you in ways that other types of rest will not.
Carve some moments out of your schedule on a regular basis to experience the joys and rejuvenating nature of silence. Infusing periods of silence into your everyday life can bring feelings of calm, patience, and rest. You’ll also decrease your distress and increase your well-being, joy, and comfort. Go ahead and take some quiet time now. You’ll be amazed.
T Ford Consulting