In order to have clarity of mind and inner peace, we need inner silence. But in our overstimulated and busy lives, it’s hard to even allow ourselves to slow down, relax the torrent of thoughts, and be still.
If you don’t feel at ease or at peace most of the time, then these tips will help you cultivate inner silence.
1. First, understand that you are the source of most of your problems. That is, a situation only becomes a “problem” when you decide it’s a problem, When you interpret a situation from a point of view that says, “this is happening TO me and I don’t like it,” and then of course the mind goes into hyperdrive trying to solve it.
Try looking at your situation from a less emotional place – as if you were a neutral observer watching a scene playing out. It’s not easy to do this, but do your best to take out the “to me” part of the phrase, “this is happening to me.” It’s just happening – no matter the cause – and you can look at it from another perspective, which is, “this is happening FOR me” because there are always hidden benefits and lessons in the difficulties we face. Recognising that a situation (no matter how unpleasant) can have significant benefits FOR you, can help settle a mind that is worried and fearful about what the future will bring.
2. Focus on what really matters. We are constantly being pulled in different directions by various distractions that pull us away from what really matters. If this is chronic, it makes us stressed because time seems to fly by and we ask ourselves, “Where did my life go?” and “Why haven’t I accomplished anything?” and “Why am I so irritated and unfulfilled all the time?”
When you focus your attention on what is truly important, you settle the mind. There is far less competition for your attention when you have less things to pay attention to – and less to organise, prioritise, and act on.
3. Choose not to engage. Where is it written that just because your mind comes up with a thought, that you have to engage in conversation? You don’t! Shift your attention to something else, and let that thought pass by. If you’re persistent about this you will find that you will develop the ability to have a thought, and let it go before it causes a strong emotional reaction – the kind of reaction that leaves you ruminating about it for a long time.
Practice mindfulness, or present-awareness as much as you can, both in meditation and in your daily activities. If you’re eating, just eat. Don’t surf the Internet or watch TV. If you’re cooking, just cook. Don’t multi-task.
Again, this helps reduce the amount of stuff your mind has to attend to, and anytime your attention is fully focused on something, the mental chatter will subside or even stop completely.
And then… you will notice a beautiful inner transformation from noise to quiet, from chaos to clarity, from busy-ness to peace.
Contact me at bslynehypnotherapy@gmail.com
