BRINGING SILENCE INTO YOUR DAY

If you find yourself caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays like a few other billions of people around the world, this time of the year can be a little confusing.

You may find that you are caught up in experiences, or situations that are bombarding you with a lot of information, and suddenly there are also many demands that you didn't put on yourself. There are expectations, flirtations and sorrowful endings.

You literally have no room to breathe, and feel quite compressed by this ever-growing pressure that builds-up around you, and inside of you. As the pressure increases, you have no time to be with yourself and to consider what it is that YOU want to do.

Instead of being caught up in the madness around you, maybe you'd rather sit in your favorite chair, sipping on a cup of hot chocolate, and watch the lights of the city. Maybe you would prefer to share a quiet dinner with some good friends, or with your partner. Maybe you would like to listen to someone reading you a fairy tale.

Such quiet moments are important, because they bring you back to your center, when everything else pulls at your attention, demanding your presence and your energy. You need to find time for yourself, and you need to be able to reflect about where you are, and what you are about to embark on, after all the madness is gone. Otherwise, you'll be trapped in the same old story that comes after the hustle and bustle. TOO quiet, too much silence and know nothing of what to do with it.

But what if you didn't wait for that moment to hit you like a sledgehammer in the head? What if you invited the much needed silence into your day right now?

So here are some simple ways that you can do that.
1. Wake up earlier than usual in the morning, even if it is 15 minutes earlier, and sit down with your favorite drink, or a cup of warm water.
2. Before you get ready to leave out the door, turn off the noise inside your head. It won't be easy, but you can start practicing.
3. Once you are around people, talk less. Being able to listen, creates more silence within you.
4. Instead of spending hours using electronic machines, spend 30 minutes walking in a natural environment, where you can see plants, birds, or animals. Nature will bring you back to yourself and a natural sense of quiet.
5. When you feel the need to do too many things, go into the bathroom, wash your face, and decide what is the most important thing to do for the rest of the day. The rest will look insignificant.
6. Go back to your home earlier than usual, and spend some time doing something enjoyable that you haven't done in a long time. Like taking a bath. Or reading a poem.
7. Finally, stay away from noise of any kind one hour before you're ready to go to bed. Your sleep with be less agitated, and it will be easier for you to get up and spend those extra 15 minutes in silence, in the morning.

Ready to take these steps? Enjoy this silence, it is a gift from your Soul.