5 Ways to Make Time for Silence: The Prerequisite to Creativity
Silence has probably become one of my most favorite things since mid-2018.
Moments of quiet, the absence of noise, and space filled with only the sounds of nature or your own breathing are moments I long for.
I honestly believe that quiet moments, quiet times, where it is just me and myself or me spending time with God, are some of the ways I feel refreshed and capable to create. Quiet can oftentimes be the motivator for most people to create, to think, and reflect. (Reflection is dope when done properly.)
I know that getting to a place of complete and total silence can be difficult, especially if you live with multiple people. For, me I live with my immediate family and oftentimes it isn't too hard to make space for silence, but sometimes it can be challenging.
Here are 5 ways I go about making silence a reality in my life.
| Waking up early| On most days I try to wake up around 6:00am (I haven't been doing too hot lately tho). When I do wake up early I am able to do my devotion, journal, and enjoy the silence of a quiet morning.
|Journal Outside/Coffee shop| When I'm in need of quietness, I find journaling to be an activity that kind of centers me, and I'm able to focus on what's going on inside and point it to God and have a conversation on paper between myself and God. Poetry also aids in this inner quiet. Coffee shops are also a great place to do this if being outside isn't an option.
|Go for a Walk/Run| I went for a run last week sometime and when you're walking or running it's just you, your pace, and your breathing. Nature is making sounds, there may be a few cars driving past, but that's it. If you live in a city, try Google-ing safe trails or hiking places near you.
|Cook/Bake in Silence| Take a day when you have your place to yourself and look up a recipe you've been wanting to try, or a meal you want to cook and just do it. Baking is my jam (pun intended, cause you put jam on certain breads you bake...get it?) Anyways baking on a quiet morning when no one else is awake and measuring out the ingredients, the mixing, and the waiting for the finished product is so much fun to me.
|Meditate|Meditation used to be an iffy word for me. Growing up in church, there was never much information given on meditation and I always thought it had something to do with yoga. As someone who follows Jesus and ascribes to the Christian faith, meditation is "not of the devil." It truly does make space for quiet to be had, inner clarity, and spiritual clarity when done properly.
For more on Christian meditation read What should we focus on in Christian meditation?
*Just for further explanation, I do not mean transcendental meditation or anything of that sort. I'm writing in terms of purposeful quietness and reflection of your heart and your mind in relation to the Trinity of God( God, Jesus, & Holy Spirit). As a form of worship and prayer, meditation can be utilized in the quieting of outside voices deterring you from hearing the voice of God. Meditation is used as thinking on scripture and setting aside time to purposefully focus on Jesus.
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These are some of the ways I have and still do exercise quietness in my life. It is in quiet that I am motivated to create, write, and reflect. In quiet I am aware of myself mentally and spiritually. It is fundamentally important to learn how to be quiet with yourself. Taking time to reflect and to be away from screens and other people's lives allows you to live your life to the full. Quiet can seem daunting at first but knowing who you are in relation to who God is changes how you live, and ultimately the reason for living.