“We all need to detach, and this can begin by initiating silence.” – Bev Pugh
So many people I see come in feeling lost or overwhelmed. They are looking for direction – a direction that makes sense and will help them resolve worries or fears or negativity.
A great deal of self-growth is about moving to a place of perspective. They say that 90% of our thinking is repetitive thoughts. Finding the bigger picture is essential, as it begins to shed some light on anything that is entrapping us.
So how do we move to the bigger picture?
Initiating silence is one way. I do this at least once a day. I find it calming and grounding, and I feel lighter afterwards. As I feel more grounded, I go more into my body and experience more relaxation. It calms the nervous system and slows down my mind.
What do I mean by initiating silence? I mean withdrawing from what’s going on around you; consciously deciding to detach; turning your attention inwards; and listening for the silence. It’s there. First you’ll hear thoughts (lots of them), outside noises, and sensations in your body. It is important to just acknowledge them rather than dialogue with them (or have an opinion about them), and keep your focus on hearing silence. Silence is there for all of us.
Start by doing this for 2 or 3 minutes once a day. You’ll be amazed at how you become used to finding the silence. Slowly, over time, you’ll be able to zero in on it more quickly.
This is the analogy I use. I love sports – in particular racquet sports. It became very obvious to me over time that if I didn’t watch the ball, I would lose. I would miss hitting it. If I was distracted by thoughts or other people, I’d take my eye off the ball. The only way to move forward was to increase the power of my focus – regardless of the noise in my head.
Finding the silence within is very much the same thing. It may be difficult to find it at the beginning, but it is there. Over time I found it got easier: Withdraw, Detach, Focus, and Listen.
In connecting to silence you are transcending, controlling influence that the outside world has on you – like stress, money, peer pressure. You are simply being still.
I welcome you to pursue this. Nurture it so it becomes a conscious part of who you are. It will help you feel calm and move forward with greater perspective.
