Why ‘Stillness’ is important for busy people.
And there is no special rule on how to do it.
The electricity power went off at 7.38 pm.
My entire building block plunged into darkness.
I could hear the neighbors opening their doors, trying to figure out if anyone else is in the same situation.
The building management informed that it would take 30mins to fix the problem.
I sat and stared into the darkness. Silent descended upon me.
With nothing to do, I let the darkness envelop me.
Surprisingly, I felt at peace. Calm.
I waited in the dark with no significant thoughts.
But when the lights came back on, I had a topic for an article.
Sitting in stillness resulted in an idea.
‘NOISE….’
Everyday, we are surrounded by noises that we have been hearing for the longest time.
Like the noise from the alarm clock that wakes us in the morning.
The noise from the coffee machine, the noise from the hairdryer, the noise from the phone ringing constantly.
In the evening, the blaring sound from TV, food cooking over the stove, the buzzing from the air conditioning unit, and even the noise of our partner breathing quietly beside us.
They are all familiar ‘noises’ that we are acquainted with every day in our lives.
These noises keeps us company 24 by 7. It is like a second skin wrapped around us. Sometimes drowning us.
They keep us moving like an invisible ‘clock’ telling us what to expect, what to do next, and what will be happening. ‘Noises’ keep us on our toes.
Like a planned schedule, in constant action.
Many would say, being in action is a way to manage life. It’s about being in control and being proactive.
You often hear you can change the world if you do something for others or yourself. Doing nothing is akin to being irresponsible, useless, or lazy.
But in fact, it is quite the opposite. ‘Doing nothing and thinking of nothing’ for a few short moments bring the same mental health benefits as meditation.
During one of my solo trips, I discovered doing nothing, and thinking of nothing, requires a certain amount of brain muscles.
I needed to stop my mind from drifting from one thought to another. Unfortunately, my mind went into replay mode! I was distracted by useless thoughts every second. It takes effort to think of nothing, even on a holiday!
Certainly not an easy task.
Try a simple experiment; switch off all your electronics and sit in your comfy chair.
Think of nothing for the next 5 minutes.
How did it go?
Did you feel that the 5 minutes went longer than expected?
Did you start fidgeting?
Did you think about what to do next?
Well, indeed, it is not normal for a human being to stay still. We are an intelligent species trained to move around.
But what do we gain from being STILL?
Similar to meditation, being STILL promotes healthier mental agility. It reduces stress. The brain gets some time off to refresh itself.
Like meditation it is a form of being mindful and being self aware. It implies paying attention to what one’s mind and body are going through.
In recent years, more people in the world have started or tried some form of meditation. Today mediation practices are so accessible online with gurus and or experts. The benefits of this practice can be anything from mental health to curing diseases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA, shows in a report that 14.2% of American adults tried meditation at least once in their life in 2017, as compared to 4.1% in 2012.
But if you are not a big fan of meditation, a simple alternative is to ‘switch off’ or block time to ‘do nothing.’ There are no rules to follow, just sitting still and not think about anything in particular. Stare into outer space if you have to.
There are at least three tangible benefits for ‘being still’ for a few minutes.
1. Your brain takes time out.
Like the restart button on your computer, the brain gets some time off to recalibrate. It becomes crucial when learning new skills or tackling a new task. Remember the famous saying, ‘Take a step back and breath.’ It is giving breathing space for the brain to rest and distance itself from the ‘noise, while it checks it’s algorithm in peace. In other words, it helps to manage stress.
2. You gain back some focus.
Whether we like it or not, we may not be able to escape the constant ‘noise’ surrounding us.
For example, if you search for articles about writing better, you would have found hundreds, if not thousands, of write ups.
Some of which are…‘How to write faster, how to generate ideas more quickly, How to write better with the system, how writing makes $X amount of money, Ten tips to better writing, Ten lessons to write better, and many more different ways to be better and faster.
There is so much advise out there, and every decision takes up more energy. It makes seeing the ‘trees from the forest or the forest from the trees tricky for some people.
‘Doing nothing’ for a few minutes will help to break the monotonous rhythm. It allows you find a better focus for the task ahead. It gives you back control to manage the momentum and attention to the matter at hand again.
3. You become creative.
Have you ever experience finding a solution as soon as you wake up in the morning. Like it was in a dream. Or have you experience how an idea comes to you when you are waiting for a bus/train on your own.
When the brain gets a quiet break, like in a similar power nap situation, it goes into dream mode or fantasizing. Some may say that your mind starts to reorganize itself, and patterns emerge during the process. The brain rewires itself to fuel your creative juice.
‘Doing nothing’ is like art itself. It takes effort and dedication to practice. Often underestimated for its benefits. And this inspirational quote from Eckhart summarised it perfectly.
“True intelligence operates silently. Stillness is where creativity and solutions to problems are found. ― Eckhart Tolle, Stillness Speaks
So, in case you are stuck or when it gets overwhelming, find a corner, hug a pillow, and stay still. Think of nothing if you can.
You deserve 10 minutes of ‘still’ time in this constant busy world.
