12 Benefits of Cultivating Daily Stillness
Has constant “doing” become part of your identity?
We have been conditioned to associate stillness with inactivity, and inactivity with failure…
and that is crazy! Because it’s psychologically imperative to take time to do absolutely NO-THING!
“When ‘overworking/overdoing’ becomes our identity, we lose track of who we actually are, and in the process, we stop living our authentic life.”
15 mins a day of doing absolutely nothing, will change your life.
MY EXPERIENCE:
Finding “stillness” was one of my biggest life changes…(and challenges!)
When I was riddled with anxiety and insomnia… I didn’t even take time to breathe or sleep! Let alone do “nothing” – even the idea of being still made me anxious! This is because back then, I was full of fear and not trusting the process of life. I balked at the idea of not being productive 24/7. My chaotic mind judged me for what I ‘should’ be doing. I believed it was lazy to relax and just ‘be’.
Eventually I came to understand I could gain more time and be extra “productive” by taking time out to find a little stillness each day. I now know it’s so much more than ‘time’ that we gain from practicing stillness.
I wish someone had told me the benefits of stillness/mediation sooner! That is why, it is my pleasure to share with you these wellness wonders on about how finding stillness can help you.
“When you lose touch with inner stillness, you lose touch with yourself.”
– Eckhart Tolle
12 BENEFITS OF FINDING STILLNESS:
Stillness builds resilience and cognitive flexibility. Giving us the ability to spontaneously restructure our knowledge, including being more adaptive and coping better when responding to demanding and changing situations
Stillness reduces stress – Helping relieve feelings of overwhelm and anxiety by reducing the stress hormones/chemicals in the body, such as; cortisol and adrenaline
Stillness decreases emotional reactivity – Helping maintain a neutral perspective. If we don’t make time to be still, then we find ourselves in ‘reactive mode’, influenced by hundreds of little voices with big demands – inside and outside of our head
Stillness improves memory
Stillness improves sleep
Stillness stimulates mindfulness – Helping us be present and enjoy life NOW, rather than constantly rushing, trying too hard and hoping that eventually everything will become “perfect” in the future
Stillness increases empathy and compassion for self and others
Stillness increases endorphins – Decreasing depression and anxiety, naturally boosting our body’s ‘feel good’ chemicals
Stillness improves intuition – Allowing us to hear and trust our gut instincts more easily. When we do this we tend to make the best decisions the first time and therefore gain time by not wasting time going down the wrong path first
Stillness cultivates creativity – Creativity thrives in stillness and nothingness; creativity is fostered in the state of stepping away from a project, task or issue at hand – getting out of our head and into our ‘magic’
Stillness boosts quality of life – Simply feeling life has more substantial purpose and joy. Stillness helps regulate breathing patterns, leading to more feelings of calm and peacefulness
Improves relationship satisfaction (because of the above 11 changes)
“True intelligence operates silently. Stillness is where creativity and solutions to problems are found.”
– Eckhart Tolle
HOW TO FIND STILLNESS IN 3 STEPS A DAY
Start with taking five minutes a day.
Sit alone with no devices or distractions.
Eyes closed is most helpful. However, if you’re sitting on the beach to get your “stillness” fix – staring at the sea is undoubtedly soothing and beneficial too.
You can simply focus on your breath, a mantra (repetitive word or phrase) or nothing… whatever works for you. Allow thoughts to enter… however, avoid thinking and analysing these thoughts. Simply let thoughts flow in and out.
Build up to 20 minutes a day will be an absolute game changer for you!
I personally like to focus on the word and feeling of LOVE – breathing in the goodness and breathing out the tension and troubles of the day.
“Who you are is the space behind your thoughts.” – Eckhart Tolle
Fiona x
