Tuning Into Silence

“Silence calms my soul and fills my heart with deep peace.” JTC

For some people, silence is torturous. They will keep themselves busy, occupied, over-scheduled and over-extended because the sound of silence drives them crazy. While I once fit into the category of “constant business,” I am glad that I hung up that hat,  retired that role long ago and now have such an intimate and healthy relationship with silence. It’s one thing I cannot live without. Taking the time to tune into silence is sacred for me. It’s also one of my non-negotiables.

Silence calms my soul because it re-calibrates me, connects me, grounds me, restores me and renews my mind, body and soul. It fills my heart with deep peace, serenity and tranquility. The art of practicing silence allows me to honor my connection and alignment to my higher self. I also look upon it as energy management. And boy have I learned a lot about energy in this last decade of my life!!! I’ve also learned to be over-cautious of where, how and with whom I choose to share my energy. I guess you can say it’s all about moderation, self-awareness, self-regulation as well as self-preservation.

We live in a world of distractions and sensory overload. A world that bombards us with constant noise, news feeds, consumerism, social media, etc., etc. Multiply all that with our professional lives and then our personal lives. Then top it off with the social commitments, family responsibilities and perhaps the not-so-stable people we encounter on the job, in our social lives, and in our personal lives. Yet, people are accepting this as the status quo despite the toll it’s taking on their lives, bodies, minds, souls, and relationships…….Yikes!!!!!! This way of living has become their sense of normalcy, so no wonder silence drives them bonkers!

As I’ve gotten older, learned to opt out of the cacophony and chaos of life, and redefined my own sense of normalcy, I value and honor the peace that comes with silence. I’ve grown to become very respectful of my own boundaries. I do not allow anyone or anything to disturb or rob me of my peace. Anything or anyone that does has to go….or at best I censor the “air time” I give the situation or the person. Let’s face it, there are people with whom our energies just don’t jibe, as well as personalities and behaviors that fall under the category of energy vampires. If there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that we can’t rationalize or engage with irrational or unstable people. In these cases, it’s best to harness and guard our energy, stand in our power, honor our boundaries and remain silent. At times like these, silence becomes the most beautiful voice.

For me, silence is self-care of the highest degree…..self-preservation, self-love and self-respect. In censoring and honoring where, when, how and with whom I share my energy, I am able to sit with a certain amount of chaos and noise when I have to. I just don’t engage in it. I become the observer, connect with my breath and marvel and how far I’ve come. Tuning into silence is a sacred practice and one for which I am grateful.

Next up…..The Compassionate Self. Stay tuned my darlings!

Inhale love & light…Exhale grace &gratitude, JTC