Quiet
Sometimes, what we need most is not another answer, but a little silence.
“Please stop the chaos in my mind and let there be silence.” Have you ever wished you could press a pause button on your thoughts?
I know that feeling. When I was under a lot of stress, and especially during my burnout, it was rarely quiet inside my head. My mind seemed to be constantly running. Like it was stuck in jogging mode. Sometimes even in the middle of a conversation. Someone would be talking to me, and part of my mind would already be somewhere else — thinking about everything I still had to do, remember, solve or organise. It was exhausting. And, honestly… annoying.
When your mind won’t slow down for a long time, I did what felt logical to me. I made lists. To-Do lists. Lots of them. And because I am a perfectionist, my lists could easily contain more than twenty things. Of course, that didn’t help. Instead of silencing my mind, the list sometimes became another source of pressure. During my burnout, I had to learn something very difficult for me: Everything doesn’t have to be done today. I had to learn to prioritise. One thing. Then another, and sometimes… nothing at all.
Writing it down.
One thing that helped me enormously was putting my thoughts on paper. Whenever something came into my mind, I wrote it down. I still do this. I have a pen and paper in almost every bag. There is even a pen and paper beside my bed. Because sometimes my mind decides to start jogging in the middle of the night. I reach for the paper, write down whatever is in my head and go back to sleep. There is just one small problem…I often write in the dark. So when I look at my notes the next morning, I sometimes can’t understand a single word. And somehow, that makes me smile, because it reminds me that I don’t have to capture every thought perfectly. I merely need to let it go.
Learning to become quiet.
Meditation has also become part of my journey. But I want to share something I had to learn: Meditation doesn’t necessarily mean that your mind becomes empty. Thoughts will still come. Images will appear. Memories may surface. Your mind may wander. And that’s okay. I have learned to imagine my thoughts like scenes in a movie. I notice them. I allow them to pass. But I don’t have to follow every thought. I don’t have to analyse every image. I don’t have to solve everything that appears in my mind. I can watch… and let it move on. Sometimes I imagine placing each thought on a little cloud and watching it drift away. Another thought comes. I notice it. And I let that one pass too. Slowly, gently… There is a little more space.
Some days are easier than others.
I am still learning. Some days my mind is quieter. Other days, the jogging starts again. I have learned not to judge myself for that. Healing isn’t a straight line. Neither is finding peace. Some days are better than others. And on the days when everything becomes a little quieter, I notice something beautiful. I feel more connected to myself. More present. More peaceful. Those are the days I call my Inner Universe days. They are the days when I feel like I can breathe a little deeper, and I hear myself again. When there is space for something other than noise.
A gentle reminder.
If your mind feels busy today, please don’t be hard on yourself. You don’t have to force your thoughts to disappear. You don’t have to solve everything at once. Maybe start with one small thing. Write it down. Choose what really needs your attention today. Let the rest wait. Take a few slow breaths. And when a thought appears, only notice it. You don’t have to follow it.
Let it pass.
There is no perfect way to find quiet. There is only your way. And perhaps peace doesn’t begin when the mind becomes completely silent. Perhaps it begins when we stop fighting every thought that comes into it. So take a breath, slow down, and give yourself a moment.
You are allowed to be quiet.
#Healthy4U