There are so many reasons why stillness is good, yet how often do we take time to be still? When was the last time that you slowed down to the point of simply doing nothing? It’s become so easy to find something to do at all times. We very rarely just sit – by ourselves, in stillness and solitude.
Stillness is Good, But Hard
I will admit that it is hard to be still. The world is moving at a fast pace and information is coming at us from all sides, at all times. It seems like there is always something to do. Even when we have a few minutes to be still, between one chore and the next, at the end of a long day at work, or while waiting in line, it has become routine to pull out our phones and to check on something.
When you lose touch with inner stillness, you lose touch with yourself. When you lose touch with yourself, you lose touch with the world.
Eckhart Tolle
I’m not implying that being busy and having things to do is a bad thing, in fact distractions can be positive (read more here). However, with all that is happening around us, it takes intention to be still. To be honest, it can even be awkward at first. To sit on the couch in the afternoon or with your morning cup of coffee and not be on your computer or pull out your phone will feel strange. I know in my house, if I do that, my kids and husband will walk past me and say, “What are you doing?” That’s because it goes against the norm to just be still.
Benefits of Stillness
There are many proven benefits to being still and letting your mind relax. Allowing your mind to be still helps you find mental clarity. These moments of quieting your mind will help you gain insight and understanding of yourself. With nothing competing for your attention, you can have time to reflect. In his book, Stillness is Key, Ryan Holiday asks the pertinent question, “If the quiet moments are the best moments, and if so many wise, virtuous people have sung their praises, why are they so rare?”
Recently I watched a show about survivalists that were stranded in the wilderness to see how long they could survive on their own. Each contestant was miles from another human being with no means to communicated with anyone. After only a few days, most of the men were struggling with not just the physical survival challenge, but also with the mental challenge of the stillness. The absolute quiet, lack of distraction and time alone had almost all of the contestants questioning deep issues. They questioned things like, “Does my family know how much I love them?”, “Am I doing what I’m supposed to be doing in life?” and “Have I taken things for granted?” It took only two days of stillness and solitude for these people to notice change and mental clarity.
Other benefits of stillness include greater peace, physical and mental rest, spiritual strength, space for creativity and even a greater attention span. Many notable people throughout history have found that success and happiness come from stillness. One of the benefits I experience with stillness is the ability to prioritize. When I have quiet time to myself, without distraction, I find that my mind focuses on what’s important. These moments center me back to thinking about what I choose rather than what is being fed to my mind.
How to Practice Stillness
Slowing down your pace of life and finding time to be still is a challenge, but it is something that gets easier with practice. Some suggested ways to experience stillness are:
- Meditate or pray. Allow yourself time for prayer and/or meditation as a regular part of your day. It doesn’t have to be long to be effective. I find that this is easier when I do this at the same time each day so it becomes part of my routine.
- Turn off your phone for a day or at least turn off social media. If this is a challenge you haven’t tried yet, I urge you to put forth the effort. I recently took a break from social media for a week and it was amazing! It was hard at times, especially in the first few days, but I grew to appreciate the exercise. One of the many positive things I noticed was many more moments of stillness when I would have otherwise been busying myself on my phone.
- Turn of your TV. Maybe for you the issue isn’t your phone as much as it is your television. With more channels than ever and more ways to watch TV, it can be a temptation that is hard to resist. Even if you delay turning the TV on until a certain time, you can invite time for stillness.
- Schedule time by yourself. Most people will find it easier to have moments of stillness by getting alone and doing it in private. I realize this is much easier said than done. Not everyone has this luxury due to responsibilities and circumstances. However, even the smallest amount of time by yourself can be restorative.
Stillness is good. Even God commands this of us in the scriptures when he says, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). The busyness of life already demands and gets enough of our time and attention. Try to balance the busyness by slowing down and finding quiet and peaceful moments. Be intentional and choose to see the good in just being still.
Challenge for this week:
Choose one of the 4 ways listed above to practice stillness. Take note of how you feel and if you notice any benefits.