Finding Your Quiet Place
We live in a world of chaos filled withthe hustle and bustle of life. There are school, work, home, church, family,and social obligations and responsibilities that are flying at us 24/7; it canbe difficult to find the quiet in a world filled with noise. Sometimes ourminds scream for the peace and quiet, they need a break from the noise of ourlives. How often are you giving yourself a break? Do you allow yourself to stopfor just a moment and find that peace? Wonder if you haven’t found your quietplace yet? Create it!
Choose to take a moment and make aspace for yourself, if even in your mind, where you can go to feel calm andpeaceful. This is a place that is all your own, it can be anything you want itto be. The key to this place is that it is a space where you feel completely atease. There is comfort in your place. There is safety in your place. This is asacred place.
Here’s a list of questions for you toanswer, in your mind or aloud, to help you start to create a quiet place inyour mind. Initially, read through the questions to become familiar with them. Aftersome contemplation, read through them again and experience them from a deeper,more visceral place. Envision how you feel and allow yourself to go into thatfeeling.
Where’s your quiet place? This can be as broad as “at thebeach” or as specific as “sitting on my pink and white canopy bed, holding myCabbage Patch doll in my childhood bedroom on Forest Street in Podunk, USA”.
Is it a place thatyou once visited or is it a place that you only dream of?
If you’ve been there, when did you visit and what kind ofmemories does thinking about it bring to mind? If it’s a real place withmemories attached, dive into those memories. Allow yourself to feel andre-experience what made this place your “quiet” place.
If it’s a figment of your imagination, when did you startdaydreaming of going there? Do you remember? Maybe this is a place that youhave dreamed of since you were a kid. Maybe you saw a picture somewhere.
What does your quietplace look like? Use colors, textures, and other descriptive language to be asspecific as possible.
What does it smell like? Again, be descriptive. “Good”,won’t have the same sensory impact as describing the scent of the ocean or thepine of the forest after it rains.
What do you hear whenyou are there? Trying to engage all your senses, do you hear insects? Birds?Water? Wind?
Do you feel the sun on your face or the wind on your cheeks?Are you warm or cold? What else do you feel? Sand under your feet? The spongyfeel of the forest after a big rain?
Are you there byyourself or do you have people with you? Who? Let’s be honest there are somepeople that do not help us feel calm, they don’t need to be included in yourquiet place. Yep, even if they are your parents, children, spouse, or bestfriend. Sometimes we need to find peace away from even those that we love themost.
Lastly, after you’ve created a picturewith sound, touch, smell, and maybe taste too. Give yourself permission tovisit this place when you feel the noise of the world is too much. I haveclients that use this as part of their morning or bedtime routine to help themget into a quiet headspace to start their day or go to sleep. Personally, Ilike doing it for a few minutes in the middle of my day when I have a break. Iclose my office door, take a few deep belly breaths, visualize a place (I haveseveral), and let the experience encompass my senses and clear my head so thatI can move on with my day with a newfound sense of quiet and calmness.