Often, we get so busy we forget to stop and listen to our minds. One of the first things that happens when we turn off the television, radio, or audible book is the silence, then the mind kicks in and starts thinking. Instead of listening to something that directs our thoughts it is time to turn off outside distractions and control our minds.
Find a peaceful time
Driving at three in the morning is a great time to contemplate on what is going on now and what is going on in the future. It is a peaceful time to think about things we want to get done and also to fine tune a project we are working on. When we have a problem, we are unsure of how to solve, keeping all outside “noise” quiet gives us time to calmly think.
Distractions
Over the years, I have found that noise pollution can sway my thought process and not always in a productive way. When working on a large project silence is golden as I do not want the alternative music I like to listen to when relaxing to sway my thoughts in a harsh direction, nor do I want a silly sitcom on the TV influencing me. When I am distressed I have found that fast paced, head banging, hard rock will calm me down and when I am feeling sappy a silly goofy sugary sweet song or book will irritate me and get me back on track. Going to the extremes of noise pollution helps to get centered. What the “noise” does not do is let my brain relax and think of ideas for the future of something I want to try or learn more about.
Day dream
When there is silence our mind can day dream and those day dreams can become part of our life. First dream of what we want our future to look like and then come back to reality and figure out how to find the dream. While we might not find the exact dream, we can often find a semblance of the dream.
“There are certain half-dreaming moods of mind in which we naturally steal away from noise and glare, and seek some quiet haunt where we may indulge our reveries and build our air castles undisturbed.”
― Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories
Relaxation
There are times when our minds do not want to shut off, relax, and go to sleep. This is when a good book or something else get our mind out of the furious pace of thinking and get it to concentrate on something else. When going to bed and my mind is racing I use several tricks that usually work, spray the sheets with a lavender sheet spray, apply a lavender lotion to my hands, get the room as dark, quiet, and as cold as possible. Then I will read a book that is not to exciting or to boring, if the book is very boring my mind takes back over and I go back to thinking not reading. Someday I would like to learn to meditate as I believe it would help in these situations as well.
Silence becomes a habit and something that is craved if we do not get enough of it. Get out of the habit of walking into a room and turning the television on or going to bed with the sounds of someone talking. Learn how to enjoy all of the twists and turns the mind takes when there is no outside stimulation. Learn to listen to the voices in your head.