As I grow older, the things I cherish and strive for are slowly shifting. More than achievements or noise-filled ambitions, I now cherish peace, slowness and softness.
I crave quietness, stillness and a soothing of the mind. I no longer want to live consumed by the noisiness of the world. I want to sit with myself, listen to my thoughts, and hear what the Universe has to say.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote:
“Let us be silent, that we may hear the whispers of the gods.”
To seek that silence and get away from a noisy world, Emerson lived by the woods and the lake.
And that was in a time when the world wasn’t nearly as noisy as ours. There were no buzzing phones, no endless social media feeds, no cities that never rest. Even then, he longed for quietude.
Unlike Emerson, most of us cannot simply retreat to a cabin by the water.
We have responsibilities. There is work to do, family to look after, commutes to take and connections to tend to.
Yet, I believe we can still find pockets of peace and quiet if we intentionally strive for them.
I know sometimes we just want to escape the world and go live somewhere peaceful, or at least go for a week-long or month-long vacation to somewhere quiet and calm.
But wouldn’t it be much better to create quiet and calm in the very world where we are living. These are gentle strivings that pay us back more peace and happiness and are worth striving for.
There are ways to do that.
And here are some gentle ways to find quiet in a noisy world
1. Start your Mornings in silence
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Many of us wake up late and rush into the day in a panic. Or, if we rise a little earlier, we often give that time away to our phones.
But mornings are sacred.
When you wake up before the world wakes up, you give yourself the gift of quiet and an appointment with yourself.
Protect your mornings from the noise. Leave the phone. Don’t open social media. Let there be no chatter.
Instead, take this appointment with yourself strictly.
Enjoy your cup of tea. Journal a page or two. Meditate, read a book, sit in meditation. Go for a morning run.
Sit with your tea, write a page in your journal, meditate, or read a few nourishing words. The way you begin your morning is the way you carry your day.
When you rise in silence, you rise with steadiness.
2. Practice digital boundaries
Quiet also begins when we stop being consumers and step back from the constant hum of the digital world.
Much of today’s noise comes not from the street outside but from the endless scroll on our screens.
Our minds are constantly stimulated. Being on our phone watching reels, TikToks, YouTube, etc, produces a kind of noise we’re unaware of being surrounded with.
I noticed this myself when I stepped away from Instagram for a few days. Only then did I realize how much background noise it had been creating in my mind.
Sometimes you don’t know how loud something is until it stops.
It was the same as not being aware of the noise in the background until it stops suddenly and you recognise the sudden silence.
Being away from it, I regain my focus, calm and gain my centre. It gives my mind the same rest as a deep breath.
So practice certain digital boundaries and digital discipline.
Turn off non-essential notifications, park your phone somewhere when doing something important, step away from your phone during meals, or choose one evening a week to unplug completely.
3. Create Sanctuaries of calm
Our outer environment matters, too.
How you keep your home and room also reflects peace and calm.
A messy home produces noise and laziness.
Whereas a clean and tidy home and room make it easier to cultivate peace, quiet and good habits.
Our home must vibrate with good energy too for us to elevate higher.
Create spaces in your home that act as a sanctuary of calm.
This could be your bedroom, a cosy reading space, a plant-filled corner or a small space where you sit down for meditation.
When the world feels too loud, these spaces can become your refuge.
4. Yoga and Meditation
And then there is the body, the most faithful refuge of all.
Yoga, meditation, even a few minutes of stretching, can restore a scattered mind.
The time you spend in yoga and meditation, even if it is for 10 or 15 minutes, adds so much calm and peace.
In the morning, it is part of my morning routine. I exercise for 30 to 40 minutes- sometimes yoga, sometimes pilates, sometimes high-intensity workouts.
If I have less time, I make sure to at least sit for 10 minutes of yoga or stretching, followed by 2-3 minutes of silence in meditation, just focusing on my breath or listening to calming meditation music.
For me, even just ten minutes of moving and breathing with awareness in the morning changes the quality of my entire day.
It’s so true that you don’t need hours.
If you’re wondering why your life feels so messed up and your mind is so active that you can’t even sleep at night, then you must add yoga and meditation to your life.
5. Build Daily Moments of stillness
Calm doesn’t always require an hour-long meditation.
Peace also comes in small doses, in the quiet pauses we build into ordinary days.
It can be 5 minutes of deep breathing, going for a mindful walk, reading before bed, sipping tea without your phone, or journaling before bed.
These micro-moments act like little resets for your nervous system.
P.S. I have created a 21-Day Journaling Guide for Self-discovery, growth and healing.
If you haven’t taken any other challenge of mine, you can join this challenge.
You will receive journal prompts and guidance from me for the next 21 days to inspire you every day.
6. Slow down your rhythm
Noise often pushes us into rushing, and rushing is the enemy of peace.
When you rush with your body, anxiety is automatic.
But when you move your body unhurriedly, remove the rush and invite calm, the cloak of anxiety immediately falls off.
To bring peace and calm in your life, you don’t have to move to the mountains, you don’t have to quit your job and go live in the countryside, though that would be wonderful too if you could do it.
But if you can’t, there’s a way to bring calm and peace by doing the very things we’re already doing. It only requires that we slow down the pace of doing things.
Such as, if you walk hurriedly or without any thought, try walking with care and love and notice how it slows you down automatically. Then, when you slow down your pace of walking, notice how it feels so peaceful and calming.
Other ways to slow down your rhythm:
- eating slower
- speaking slower
- Sipping your coffee slowly and savouring it
- Not hurrying withe the body
- Mindful shower without hurry
- Folding clothes without rushing
- Walking as if you have nowhere to reach.
Slowness creates its own kind of quiet.
7. Protect your boundaries
Not all noise is external. Noise also comes from people who drain your peace.
If some people come to you and all they have to say is negative things or talk about lack and triggers, then you must protect yourself from them.
This is not to say that you must not give them your listening ears. You may hear them, but don’t get pulled in by them to their storm and the negativity they create.
Don’t add to the gossip they bring. Be mindful not to add to the complaints and lack they talk about.
You must also protect yourself from certain relationships and make sure that the one you’re in is uplifting, supportive and loving.
Anything less than that is not what you deserve.
Stop being with people who make you second-guess yourself.
Not being with someone who makes sure they love you clearly creates so much internal noise that your heart can never feel fully rested and safe.
There’s always something triggering around the corner, and this drains our mental peace and calm.
So avoid the red flags and run from them as early as you can.
Be mindful of what you talk about with people and of your energy when with people.
Notice who adds value to your life and who is creating more drama, tension and anxiety.
Protecting your energy isn’t selfish. It’s an act of self-respect.
8. Choose silence intentionally
Silence teaches.
Sometimes choose to be away from the noise intentionally.
Spend time without music, podcasts, or chatter.
Go for a walk without your headphones.
Just be with your thoughts. Let your thoughts wander. Let it breathe.
Daydream about the possibilities and daydream about what you want to do.
9. Embrace nature’s silence
Even in busy cities, nature holds pockets of stillness.
If you are feeling overwhelmed with the noise outside and inside your head, go to a park, a riverside, or even a tree-lined street.
Go there. Breathe. Let nature’s calm rhythm quiet your own nervous system.
10. Come back to the body
One thing to remember whenever you feel overwhelmed is that you always have your breath and your body.
And the moment you return to them, you come back to peace, calm and the present moment.
So stretch, breathe deeply, and place your hand on your heart. Close your eyes, inhale deeply, and exhale slowly.
In those few seconds, you create a peace that no outside noise can touch.
Closing Thoughts on How
You don’t always need to escape to the mountains or switch off the world to find calm. The world will remain noisy, but we can learn to carry silence within us.
You may not always be able to control how loud the world gets, but you can learn to carry an inner hush. True peace and quiet aren’t about escaping life, but about choosing softness, presence, and calm in the middle of it all.
It is possible. Let us practice it.
You might also like:
- How to enter your soft life era
- How to romanticise your life
- How to exit your lazy girl era
- How to become mentally strong
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