Illusive Quietness by Steph Beth Nickel

In the busyness of life, how do you achieve quietness—physical quietness, emotional quietness, spiritual quietness?

Perhaps you have a regular routine for quieting your heart, mind, and soul. Or you may be like me, an extrovert who thrives on interacting with others, listening to podcasts, consuming audiobooks—until she doesn’t.

Adding quietness breaks to our daily schedule can do wonders for our mental and physical health.

As writers, we need to quiet our minds so we can think clearly and not allow the cacophony of mental noise to drown out our creativity, leaving us wondering how to get unstuck with our current writing project(s).

Below are a number of tips on how to capture that illusive quietness. Please note that those things that quiet our mind and body may also quiet our spirit and vice versa. Plus, I’ve just scratched the surface and look forward to reading how you attain peace, calm, and quiet as well.

Achieving Physical Quietness

There are two things that lead to physical quietness I’ve recently learned to appreciate. (They also lead to emotional and spiritual quietness. Bonus!) John Eldridge’s The One Minute Pause app and Emily P. Freeman’s The Quiet Collection app are such a blessing. Listening to these soothing recordings combined with closing my eyes and taking slow, deep breaths works wonders. As someone who often fills her days with the “noise” of conversation (IRL* and virtual), it’s like shifting from Fast Forward to Half Speed. (*In Real Life)

Achieving Emotional Quietness

There’s a reason they call it “doom scrolling.” If you find yourself being weighed down by what you read and/or listen to online, it’s likely time to set your phone aside. I’m not talking about becoming the proverbial ostrich with your head stuck in the sand, but unless you are specifically called to address a certain issue—and even if you are—it’s all too easy to become overwhelmed. If we allow this to happen, it’s highly likely we will become less effective in addressing issues rather than better equipped to do so. Long walks. Listening to your favourite music. Spending time with those who fill your emotional well. These and so many other things can lead to emotional quietness.

Achieving Spiritual Quietness

While prayer, the study of God’s Word, and soothing Christian music help us focus on the Lord and serve to quiet our spirt, the same is often true of taking a walk in creation—minus the headphones. You may even want to take your camera with you so you can capture scenes that serve to quiet your spirit as well as your mind and emotions.

How do you achieve illusive quietness in this day of go, go, go?