Saturday – Sound or Silence
Are you someone who prefers to have sound around you or do you seek out quiet and stillness? We are all different. I wonder if what we seek out (sound or quiet) comes from what we were used to as a baby and child or is it just innate? Perhaps it’s also a cultural question. Maybe it’s that nature vs nurture question. In any case, I do know that our nervous system does need to calm down from too much stress. Many of us don’t even realize that we are on constant alert or stressed or too distracted to be able to focus properly. Maybe there are things in your life that stress you even without you consciously realizing it.
In moments when I need to calm my nervous system and feel calmer and more relaxed, I need quiet, calm and stillness. I think that’s why I love water. I adore floating in lots of water. Another way to calm down is to go sit in the forest. Go sit in a forest, by yourself, on a tree stump or on some mossy ground and just listen. It won’t be completely quiet of course, hopefully you’ll hear birds. Just focusing on the sounds will slow down your heart rate and calm the nervous system.
And then I was wondering, how is it to be deaf? I’m immensely grateful for having ears that work. Because I love to hear music, nature sounds and even people talking -most of the time. But sometimes, it feels so good with complete silence. But maybe that’s just me.
Our son Kaj recommended a movie to us called The Sound of Metal. He loved it. I get why he did because it’s a great movie; one of those that makes you think. About sound. About the difficulty for some people to find stillness and quiet. Until you are forced to. Finding calm and quiet in our heads is a massive challenge for most people. Mindfulness and Meditation can help. But we don’t understand that until we’ve practiced enough to feel and see the results.
I want to share one more film with you. This one won a prize (the other one also did, by the way) for best short movie. It’s about a deaf girl. This short film is tender and sweet and it invites a smile to my face somewhere in the middle, and then……shhhh. I won’t tell you. Watch it! Here’s the link. The Silent Child
Be well, sweet friends. Maybe today you’ll find a place that gives you a sense of stillness and calm if you need it.