When did you last sit with silence? I bet you can’t remember. We may not intend to have a constant buzz around us, but it can be hard to move away from it. Noise, background music, talking, shouting, traffic, podcasts, family catch up time, going to gigs, watching shows, information being broadcast to us constantly, meetings, conversations, chatter on the tube. This is simply part of the world we live in but it means that the gift of silence is hard to come by.
We live with so much background turbulence that it’s become the norm. Without thinking we try to fill the rare silences because we’re trying to be ‘productive’ 24/7 or we’re uncomfortable with the absence of noise.
I do it myself. When I find a few moments to spare, rather than being in my silence, I reach for distractions. Pop on a podcast, call a friend, put on some music to reflect my mood, watch something on YouTube, get back into a series on Netflix, soak up a TedTalk, whatever. It has become a habit ingrained - something I do without thinking. I used to run naked (not naked naked, but without headphones). Before mobile phones and access to music and spotify and podcasts. I’d run with my own thoughts and the sounds of nature. I rarely do this now. We even fall asleep watching TV, or listening to music or a guided meditation. It is constant.
Think about your day, yesterday for example. How much pure peace did you have? From your waking moment, when the alarm blasts, were you able to get any quiet into your day? If you think through your average day, I wonder if you had any of these moments.
There is a lot of power in silence. It can calm, and harness and speak to us.
“Listen to silence. It has so much to say.” Rumi.
Without it, we’re on remote, we’re distracted and we are not listening.
I’m personally trying to find spaces with more silence. To find a lovely position, to stop and listen. I invite you to too. Have a great Sunday xx
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Gemma Brown is a certified coach who works with successful women, 1-2-1 and in groups, to identify their strengths and build confidence which enables them to have the self-belief to fearlessly bring their whole being into all areas of life. Gemma is based in Cambridgeshire and carries out face to face coaching in the area as well as 1-2-1 coaching via Skype and Zoom. For more about Gemma, visit her 'About' page.