When did you last hear nothing at all?
There is the radio in the car, the telly on in the background, a podcast while you cook and notifications buzzing all day long. Many of us fill every quiet gap without even noticing.
This week, why not take 15 minutes for a little hygge moment and sit in silence for five minutes? Use a few minutes to get comfortable and switch everything off, then simply sit and let the quiet settle around you.
Sitting in the parked car counts.
Make it cosy
Turn the volume of your world right down:
- A comfy chair or a cushion on the floor
- The telly, radio and music all switched off
- Your phone on silent and turned face down
- A soft blanket around your shoulders
- Gentle light, or the curtains half drawn
Your 15 minutes of stillness
- Switch it all off. Walk round and silence every gadget you can.
- Get comfortable. Sit with your back supported and your feet on the floor.
- Close your eyes. Or let them rest softly on one spot.
- Just sit. No breathing technique, no mantra, nothing to achieve.
- Come back slowly. Open your eyes and wait a moment before you move.
Slow it right down
Five minutes can feel surprisingly long at first. Your mind may race or fidget. Let it. Silence does not need to be perfect to be restful.
As you sit, try to notice:
- The small sounds that were always there, like a clock or birdsong
- The gentle rise and fall of your breath
- Where you are holding tension in your body
- How your thoughts slow once nothing is feeding them
Finish gently
Before you switch anything back on, ask yourself whether you actually want the noise, or whether a little more quiet would be nice.
You could also:
- Drive home with the radio off once a week
- Have a quiet cup of tea before the house wakes up
- Sit in the garden and listen to the evening
- Stretch the silence to ten minutes when it feels easy
Your 15-minute challenge
Today, give yourself 15 minutes.
Turn everything off. Find a comfy seat. Close your eyes.
Then sit in the quiet for five whole minutes and simply listen.
It does not have to be meditation. It does not have to be a silent house.
It just has to be today.
Quiet is a gift you can give yourself.
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