Enjoy the Quiet
We’re always surrounded by noise and distraction. That’s why it’s important to remember to take some time out of our day to get some peace and quiet, if only for a couple of minutes.
You can call it meditation if you like, but it doesn’t have to be if the word puts you off to the idea. You can try to clear your mind or let your thoughts run free as you close your eyes or focus on an object.
For those who are unable to sit still, you can still enjoy the silence while you’re working on something in your hands. Try folding clothes or doing repetitive tasks without any noise or distraction. Read, write, make art, stretch, do yoga, or do some other task with as much noise removed as possible and just focus on what’s in front of you and on being present in that task.
This practice works great when you can enjoy the quiet out in nature, like in a mountain meadow or the desert at night. Getting away from all the hustle and bustle of the city and the stresses of life for a bit – that’s where the real quiet is; where there is often nothing more than the occasional buzz of insects, the flow of water, chirps of birds, or breeze of wind rustling the leaves and grass. Away from the artificial, man-made sounds of the world.
But, wherever and whenever you can find some peace and quiet, enjoy it! A park or trail near your home is a great substitute. Sometimes the noise we need to get away from is our technology, so sitting at a park, even with the sound of people and the world going on around you, putting your phone down and unplugging for a bit absolutely qualifies as “quiet time”.
If you can incorporate grounding practices into this, even better. If you’re not familiar with grounding (also known as “earthing”), it is a practice of connecting your body to the actual Earth – bare feet to the dirt or grass. The purpose of this is to release electrical energy that our bodies build up throughout the day, and has been shown to reduce stress and inflammation in our bodies. This practice mixed with meditation and done frequently has many health benefits, both mentally and physiologically.
And of course, there’s always the option of laying in your bed and just breathing. Use this time to self-reflect, to think about the next day, to ponder random thoughts in our brain, to play out scenarios, and anything else that comes to mind. Or, just quiet your mind and let it rest from the constant flow of thought for a short time.
Whatever makes you most comfortable, put aside some quiet time for yourself each week, if not each day, for a couple of minutes at least. Even if you’re doing absolutely nothing but laying down and breathing, this time is for YOU to do with however you please.
Enjoy the Music
Opposite to setting aside time for yourself to remove noise and enjoy the quiet – playing, enjoying, and appreciating music has its own benefits for our health!
And while many people listen to music daily, it’s often while working on something else. You may listen to music every time you’re in the car or do schoolwork. But, when was the last time you put on some music and did nothing but lay in bed or sit somewhere while you did nothing but listened to it?
I imagine a fair amount of people haven’t done that in a while, and can’t remember the last time they REALLY listened to music. People who know how to play an instrument or instrument, likely do this more often than most people, but they also get the benefits of playing music themselves and feeling it in an entirely different way than those of us who don’t know an instrument.
But that’s the great thing about music – you don’t have to know how to play an instrument to enjoy it, or to understand it, or to have it speak to your soul. As a kid, my dad would put on music for us, like classic rock, Native American flute music [Canyon Trilogy], classical, and we would just hang out listening to it. It was a great way to unwind and let my imagination wander after school.
(I remember laying on the couch listening to Music of the Grand Canyon, and imagining that I was an eagle flying over the Colorado River and through the canyon. )
Imagine if more of us made music appreciation a habit for ourselves, and our kids!
Consider what music does so much for us on so many different levels. It helps us relate to others, to express ourselves, to share ideas and thoughts, to produce a certain emotion and so much more. And whether there are lyrics or just instruments, music has the ability to accomplish things and heal us in ways we have yet to understand.
Music inspires us, moves us, embraces us, consoles us, relates to us and connects with us in every way imaginable – through words and instruments, and across time and space.
There’s music for every occasion, mood, setting, experience, idea and everything in between. And while music follows certain structures and beats and even formulas sometimes, it can be presented in a seemingly infinite number of ways to tell an infinite number of stories.
In terms of using music as a form of self-care, find some music that is particularly compelling, peaceful, or makes you feel strongly in some way, or that tickles your imagination. Or, maybe find some specific music to listen to that you use to calm you down or maybe hype you up before something important.
Set up a playlist, or several playlists to alter from session to session, depending on your mood and intentions going into the session.
This can, for some, be a great form of meditation. Try to match your breathing to the music, but with deep, timed breaths. Count the beats or find your own pattern to follow, and try to get through at least one whole song.
If you have a hard time focusing on breathing deeply, then just be mindful of your breathing while you let your mind wander. As long as you’re not taking a bunch of shallow breaths, you’re doing great. And if you feel compelled to move or dance to the music instead of sitting or lying down, go ahead! Feeling the music in your body and soul is an important part of the practice!
And, if it helps you, reflect on your music appreciation session afterward by logging the experience in a journal.
What genre of music or artists did you listen to? How did it make you feel? What did you think about while listening? Did you hear a lyric in a song differently that changed your understanding of the meaning, or gave a new perspective? What do you think the purpose or message of the song was? How did the session impact the rest of your day, if at all?
Whatever your thoughts and observations, write them down! These self-reflections are important to our well-being and our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
So put on some music, and really listen to it.
Being in the middle of a pandemic and a plethora of other stressful situations, it’s imperative that we find the time to ground ourselves, reflect and find peace within ourselves. And, it’s imperative that we are setting aside time for self-care. Especially for the purpose of opening our minds and hearts to our own creativeness, imagination and curiosity about the world.
As you’ve seen from this piece, self-care is more than taking baths, going on walks, eating and sleeping well, and drinking water as I covered in part 1 of this series.
It’s exploring yourself and your interests, passions and curiosities. It’s self-reflection and an acknowledgment of where growth is needed. And, it’s a way to express how we think, feel and view the world at large.
I hope that at least one of these things helps you to find peace and presence within yourself, now more than ever. We’re currently in a contentious time in our lives, and we are entering into an even more uncertain and scary time in our country and world.
I know you’re exhausted from everything that is happening. But we have to keep on keeping on, as we always have. In order for us to do that, we each need to be taking care of ourselves individually, so we can continue to collectively keep working towards a better tomorrow.
So rest up! And take care of yourselves out there. Whatever comes our way over the next few months, we must be as prepared as possible mentally and physically, because it will be tough.
But I know we can weather the storm together.
Stay safe, happy and healthy out there!
Resources
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/modern-mentality/201803/are-adult-coloring-books-actually-helpful
- https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3265077/
- https://www.allmusic.com/album/canyon-trilogy-mw0000093750
- https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-music-of-the-grand-canyon-mw0000645524
