Turning off the Noise!
This world is filled with a cacophony of sensation, a myriad of sounds, textures, sights, tastes, scents and so much more. Things that the conscious mind is often not even unaware of.
While all this is going outside of us, there is a whole world of noise inside the self. Most noticeably—and often drowning out all other inner sounds—is the inner dialogue. The chaos of incessant chatter that intrudes on our thoughts can drive us to distraction.
We try out-stubborning the thoughts. We try meditating, yoga, walks in nature, music, conscious breathing and anything else that might possibly help keep us mindful and present. And though these things help in the moment, the chatter comes back every time.
So how do we get out of our heads?
How do we put a stop to the incessant thoughts that intrude on our peace?
Resistance doesn’t work. Shields don’t work. Ignoring it doesn’t work. Meditation is temporary. It’s like getting a massage and feeling relaxed and blissful and then immediately tensing up on the way home as we remember all the stresses in our life, while stuck in traffic.
So how do we do it? How do we get out of our head?
By listening.
Anyone that has ever been around children knows that the child that is ignored only screams louder until they are heard. If their voice goes unacknowledged, they feel invisible. So they increase the volume. They want to know that they are heard. That they matter. That they exist.
Think about each thought that enters the mind, as a child who wants attention. The more you ignore them, the louder they get. They don’t go away until they are known. Then what happens is that they accumulate. There is not just one thought, but a thousand forgotten thoughts, all vying for your attention. So of course, it’s going to be noisy inside your head.
How to get peace
In order to get some peace, it’s important to do what we do with any other voice in our life that wants our attention. Listen. Acknowledge what is trying to be expressed. After that it’s much easier to go back to what is happening in life at the moment with a fuller and deeper presence.
That is the key to turning off the noise of the mind. To listen to what it is telling you. To allow the thoughts to enter peacefully without judgement. Then you can choose where you place your focus.
The quest for quiet
In the quest to quiet the mind—one so many spiritual seekers are on—thoughts can sometimes be mistaken as undesirable. Something to rid ourselves of. Judgements form and shame arises around something that is a normal and necessary part of human existence.
The first step in letting go of some of that self judgement is by entertaining the possibility that thoughts are not bad things and remembering their purpose.
Thoughts are not good or bad
Thoughts are vital. We explore life through our thoughts. We figure things out by thinking. We communicate with the self through thoughts. Communication with others begins with self dialogue. Instead of separating thoughts into good ones and bad ones, we can think of them as being neutral—keeping in mind that accepting them doesn’t mean we need to act on them.
Hoping for a calm inner state while fighting against our thoughts is a little like being invited into a castle but having to cross a croc filled moat while the bridge is up. If we are wanting a peaceful mind, we must make peace with our thoughts.
A little help
That’s not to say that we can’t have a little help. The stone beings are the ones I often turn to first with anything that involves self love and presence. Crystals are known for their calming effect their value in getting to a meditative state of mind. But they can also help with letting go of judgements and with self acceptance.
Lithium Crystals, Rose Quartz, Rhodochrosite and Carnelian all come to mind for self love, acceptance and calming. Fluorite and Howlite are the ones I first think of in connection to the mind. But truly, the crystal you are most drawn to in the moment will be the one which will offer the best gift.