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?

Overcoming Overwhelm by Steph Beth Nickel

 

https://pixabay.com/photos/little-boy-hiding-sad-child-fear-1635065/

Have you ever felt like hiding in a pillow fort?

It was just the other night that overwhelm struck. I had several balls in the air at the same time, and, quite frankly, I felt like letting them all fall, shutting down my computer, and hiding in a pillow fort (or watching an episode of "Rescue Special Operations").

While I did finish writing the email I was working on, I decided that I needed sleep more than I needed to power through anything more.

And in the morning...

I was refreshed and ready to tackle the day. No pillow fort needed.

There are a number of other things that recharge my batteries and chase away overwhelm. Among them...

1. Going for a walk.

2. Doing a brief workout.

3. Taking nature photos.

4. Having coffee with a friend.

5. Listening to a podcast.

6. Reading a chapter in one of the books I'm reading.

7. Focusing on a single task at a time. (Close those extra tabs, Stephanie!)

And let's not forget the aforementioned getting some shut-eye.

This post has only scratched the surface of how to overcome overwhelm. Among the other things we may want to try are...

1. Determining if there are commitments we need to let go.

2. Learning that it's alright to say no when we're asked to take on a task we don't have the bandwidth for.

3. Reworking our schedule.

4. Deleting social media from our phone. 

5. Decluttering our surroundings so we aren't as distracted when we sit down to work.

6. Setting a timer and working on the task at hand until the timer goes off.

7. Establishing a ritual that tells our brain, "It's time to get to work" (i.e.: settling in to a spot set aside for work, lighting a candle, turning on some instrumental music...).

And, above all else, as believers, we ought to cast our cares on the One who loves us more than even our closest family members and friends. We must also ask for wisdom from the One who promises to give it generously.

How do you deal with overwhelm?