Turn Down the Volume for Vitamin S
Did you ever notice that LISTEN and SILENT have the same letters? When things feel out of sorts in my life I know some basic questions need answering. What do I need? What am I feeling? What am I thinking? What’s missing? Finding the answers to any of these questions begs a serious dose of Vitamin S, the vital nutrient Silence! Without it, slim chance any of us will ever hear a thing.
Yet lately, from the first moment I wake up to the last moment I go to sleep it seems my world is saturated with noise. I’m sure you know what I mean, between the alarm clock radio, traffic, the subway, phone calls, television, kids perhaps, texts, emails (the loudest silent form of communication ever!) All that beeping, ringing, and chatter can drive a person crazy! Personally I’m feeling stuffed full of noise and missing my quiet time; time to listen and hear what my heart, my mind, and my body are saying.
Maybe the truth is I’ve been afraid of the silence, afraid to listen, to hear what I’m really thinking and feeling; scared to admit certain things to myself, scared of the actions that may need to be taken. After all, some of the noise is unavoidable, but some of it is in my control. Whose hand is it anyway turning the tv, the computer, the ringer on or off?
So aha, all that noise has been a convenient distraction, a brilliant avoidance tactic! But now it’s finally taking its toll! Sometimes we just need to get fed up enough to say enough! Whatever I’ve been avoiding, I’d rather know it than continue down this road of endless chatter and noise. The possibility for peace, insight, and clarity is suddenly eclipsing my fear and infinitely more appealing. It’s time for a daily dose of silent time to listen for the answers to those simple questions, what am I thinking, feeling, needing. Just in taking this time to sit quietly and write today, I’ve learned a few.
Beginning today, I commit myself to create this silent time by restoring my daily journaling practice, getting to yoga class and turning off the TV for at least an hour before bed so I can literally hear myself think. Other sources of Vitamin S include meditating, getting bodywork, going for a walk in nature. If you’ve been Vitamin S nutrient deficient lately and hungry for some silence perhaps you’re ready to turn down the volume so you can hear yourself again. What can you do to create that quiet time in your life again?
