Add More Silence
February 14, 2012 in Sweet Nothings
Original image by Nirrimi Hakanson
One of my biggest flaws is pushing myself too hard and by the sounds of it, some of you have the same “defect”. My mother told me that I try to do too much when I was a teenager and I can tell that my boyfriend wants to tell me this most days (but might be afraid of the reaction)!
We creative types tend to be excited about getting our teeth stuck into anything and everything; wanting to experience as much of life as we possibly can. There is always something more that I want to do or achieve. Instead of being overwhelmed by choice and not doing any of the ideas in front of me, I run. FULL THROTTLE. I run into the eye of the storm and attack everything with vigour and energy. That is, until I can’t anymore.
Does this sound familiar to any of you out there?
This weekend I realised how much I have been able to slow the pace of my usually chaotic life without even realising it. As much as I love my family, sometimes a fleeting visit can be overwhelming as they want to spend every waking minute talking to you, quizzing you and taking you to places they’ve been dying to show you. All of this is wonderful, but full on. On the plane back home I could barely keep my eyes open and my head throbbed lightly as if it had been over-used.
Instead of kicking myself for booking the trip, I decided to hunt for the positives. I got to spend time with my grandpa on his birthday, I got to see my parents, I caught up with other family members, T had a good excuse to go on his “man weekend” and I had the uplifting realisation of how much my life had changed.
My life now contains little pockets of something that I didn’t get while away for the weekend, something that I missed terribly and craved often. SILENCE.
I didn’t realise how many tiny bursts of it I give myself nowadays, until I no longer had the space for it. You don’t know what you’ve got until its gone… I am much more positive, energetic and productive when I stop devouring text, information and constant noise!
Try setting an alarm on your phone twice a day this week with a reminder to step out of the office (even if it’s to the bathroom) to just sit/stand and soak up some silence. It really does make a difference when you tend to live on fast forward, with the world sprinting alongside you. Slow down and take a few breaths. Stay still and embrace the quiet.
Thanks for stopping by a creative day, so happy it let me find your blog!
YES, I totally understand everything you are saying… being creative its hard to slow down and relax. I make myself have nights with no technology and turn my phone OFF!
xoxo
eileen
You’re very welcome, your blog is delightful! I am impressed that you have technology free nights, that’s sounds so liberating. I might have to work up to that, as I tend to get a little stir-crazy worrying that someone might desperately need to get in touch (silly I know). Thank you for popping by! xx
Very very very awesome thing to think about. i always try to add some stillness into my day, but definitely need to do so much more….. Getting there! It’s all about figuring out what works and how to implement it not our lives … would be an awesome topic for TRIG too, don’t you think? x
It is becoming harder and harder to carve out time in our lives for stillness isn’t it? Everything seems to run at such a fast pace and makes you feel like if you stop for a while, things will keep moving and you’ll have to catch up eventually (anxiety city)! I think if I have regular 10/15 minute time slots of stillness, it makes me less worried about what I’m missing out on in “the real world”. Could definitely be a topic for TRIG! xx
That’s so true, it’s very nice just sitting in silence sometimes. I live with my family, and my house is a full house, with boys running and jumping and making noise. And my parents with the tv or radio always on. I love it when everyone is out, and I can just sit in the big house in complete silence. It’s so relaxing.
Really enjoying flipping through your website here, definitely going to give your blog a bit of loving by adding you on bloglovin’.
It’s often hard to find that silence, particularly when you’re living with others but doesn’t it feel good when you get it?! Thank you for your lovely comment about my blog, so glad you’re enjoying having a wander! xx
I’m definitely in a burn-out period right now. I pushed so hard for so long (working two jobs, school, blogging, and freelance projects), and it took it’s toll. I left school for the semester, plus I’m down to one job now, and I’ve been off & on in the blogosphere lately. I think I used all my energy and motivation reserves! But I want to start rebuilding into a better all-around approach. I have more free time to pursue passion projects as well as take better care of myself, which will help in all aspects of my personal and professional life :)
Sounds like you were running on empty for a while Tiera! Glad you’re giving yourself some time to recuperate – you’ll need it. I find that when I’m burnt out I often have no creativity or passion to follow which upsets me. Slow is sometimes the best speed. Hope your more balanced approach is going well! xx