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Finding Silence: How to Cope with Too Much Noise

Writer's picture: Tehmina MeheraliTehmina Meherali

Listening to our inner guidance is really difficult these days because the world has become infinitely louder.  There is more clamoring for our attention, more noise coming from all sources.  We are weighed down in information overload. 


On top of that, our technological devices are working to keep us tethered and dependent on them, so even when we know we should take a tech break we cannot.   


This is why we must be conscious, awake, and determined enough to say ‘No’ to the noise.  No one is going to do this for us.  We need the willingness to take the first step.   

How can we hear our inner guidance if we have constant feedback and information from the outside bombarding us? 


The shift always comes from within. That means, we have to connect to our inner determination to say, I’m unplugging now.  I’m putting my technology in a different room.  I’m putting it on airplane mode.  I'm turning off 99% of my notifications. I’m not going to mindlessly scroll.  I’m not going to watch just one more show or video, listen to one more podcast or audiobook, or read just one more headline or social media thread. 


I know for many of you, this may sound good and easy in theory.  But don’t forget, psychologists and technological companies have purposefully made our consumption addictive.  So, like most addictions, we first need to recognize there is a problem and that there is a gentle and loving way for us to wean ourselves off.   


Technology aside, if you are someone who has had a difficult time trusting yourself lately, instead of finding an outer voice in the form of a video, a book, a podcast, or even a psychic, why not just allow more silence to filter in? 


Allow yourself to connect to an inner stillness.   It might feel really difficult or even scary, or abnormal.  But stay with it.  Allow your nervous system to settle down.  Afterall, it gets heavily stimulated by outside noise, too.  It goes into a state known as ‘sympathetic’, which is one of alert and adrenaline, typically associated with fight, flight responses.  So, we want to calm our system down, and to not bombard our senses--our eyes and ears especially--with more content and information to process.   


If you are also someone who experiences attention deficit, and many of us are experiencing this as our attention-spans rapidly diminish, it is especially important to take conscious breaks.  This includes technology, and also information that is filtered in through other sources, be it newspaper, radio, even educational or self-development workshops and meetings. 


Become discerning about what you consume and how much you consume; remember to take breaks.


If we don’t take conscious breaks, we run the risk of thinking that the outer world is responsible for why we feel so badly.  And there seems to be a lot of ‘evidence’ to indicate how bad it is ‘out there’.  We also unconsciously give the outer world permission to tell us if we’re ok. 


Giving our power to the external is a sure way to feel power-less. 


But once we realize our world actually begins in our inner mind, and that we have far more power than we realize, we can make great shifts and strides to taking back agency over our lives. 


This may sound counter-intuitive but I assure you, this has merit. Go ahead and get quiet.  Create ‘silence pockets' for yourself throughout the day.


Start making it a habit to check-in with your inner guidance. If you don’t know what your inner guidance feels or sounds like, just start by getting curious, calm, and open to it. Befriend the idea that there is innate wisdom in you, and that it is a peaceful, loving voice.


Then, just listen.


You will feel immense relief in the peace and quiet.


(If for some reason you don't, and your inner chatter is too loud, stay tuned for my next segment on working with inner chatter.)

 

 

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