In the hustle and bustle of modern society, it’s easy to simply miss life. With everything happening in the world today, it’s becoming more of a chore to live in the present moment. This is why finding inner stillness is more important than ever because we need to balance out the chaos we live in.
Social media is constantly grasping for your attention. An endless river of stress keeps you on your toes, exacerbated by the endless worries of a changing social climate. You constantly need to plan, do, and achieve – and there has never been more pressure to become someone.
Then there’s that little voice in your head telling you to work harder, be more productive, and get more done. Life is a competition after all, and your mental jukebox certainly won’t let you forget that.
It never ends.
That’s the problem – we’re always living in the future, which is why it’s more important than ever to learn to live in the now. This is where mindfulness practices come in handy to help you reach inner stillness.
Cultivating inner stillness helps you get out of your head and find peace in the present. So, let’s look into some ways that you can cultivate inner stillness and find the quiet inside.
What Does Inner Stillness Mean?
Inner stillness is to be absorbed in the present moment without thinking, planning, or worrying. When you’re truly living in the now, your mind is empty of thoughts, stress, and worries about the future. You reach a space where you feel calm and at peace, facilitating a much more enjoyable (and productive) state of being.
Inner stillness is not a task, nor is it something you do. It’s a state of consciousness you reach by being completely absorbed in the activity, allowing you to declutter mentally and reach a state of emotional equanimity.
As mindfulness is the path to inner stillness, it applies to every aspect of your life. We’re often led to believe that we need an empty mind to be mindful, but this isn’t necessarily true. Being mindful just means that you’re present with the experience you’re having and fully conscious of it.
With that said, you can be mindful of your thoughts as long as you don’t push them away. You can be mindful of your stress, your pain, your daydreaming, of the entertainment you are watching. Mindfulness can be applied to:
- Your work
- Your thoughts and emotions
- Hobbies and avocations
- Tasks and duties
- Driving
- Motion/Moving your body
- Walking
- Eating and drinking
- Breathing
- Socializing or talking
- Listening to someone or something
- Watching something
Why Is Inner Stillness Important?
The mind can be a tormenting place, and you can waste away your life stuck in it. Inner stillness is important because it helps you reduce internal suffering. In other words, it’s great for your mental health and:
- Reduces stress
- Improves clarity
- Helps you focus
- Creates a better mind-body connection
- Increased self-awareness
- Better emotional regulation
We conjure a lot of pain through thought, as dwelling on the past and future can exacerbate internal conflict. Pain compounds through resistance while inner peace is achieved with acceptance.
Inner stillness creates a peaceful space void of stress and worry where you can recharge. The quality of your life is based on the quality of each moment you have. This is why inner stillness is critical in making the most out of life and experiencing life to its fullest.
Practices for Inner Stillness
There are specific things you can do you bring your awareness into the present moment and experience more inner stillness. Practices such as meditation, yoga, and breathwork help, meaning the more you practice these activities, the easier it becomes to quiet your mind.
Here we will look at some simple practices to help you cultivate inner stillness. Try to apply as many of these practices as often as you can. Make mindfulness a lifestyle, and watch this new way of being fruit in various forms within your life.
Avoid Dwelling On the Future
In most cases, anticipating something you’re worried about is worse than the experience itself. Our minds love to dramatize situations and think of the worst-case scenario. Sure, sometimes this is necessary so that you can prepare for the worst, but we tend to overdo it.
Therefore, do your best to avoid dwelling on the future. It’s okay to plan and organize, but make sure it’s balanced. If you feel your mind drifting off into worry, gently bring it back to the now and breathe. Be a little stern in your practice to focus on the experience right now when you catch your mind drifting away.
Bring It Back to Your Breath
Your breath can be very grounding, and attentive breathing stills your mind. Therefore, make a habit of breathing deliberately to settle your mind. Breathe slowly and deeply, and give your breath complete undivided attention for a few moments until the rhythm of your breath seduces you.
Every time that you remember, take a moment to breathe. When you feel yourself drifting off, gently bring your focus back to the breath. Attentive breathing will help you be more present and mindful every time you do it.
Stop Multitasking
Focus all of your effort and attention on the task at hand rather than multitasking. Giving everything your full, undivided attention prevents your mind from drifting off and keeps you focused on the activity at hand.
Everyday life is filled with small tasks, and the pudding is found in the details. Many of the details you won’t be aware of, such as how you move your body or how you respond to stimuli. Focus your attention on the small details that make up the larger tasks rather than the task itself. Whether it’s taking a step, opening a door, driving a car, or talking to someone, focus on one activity at a time to cultivate inner stillness.
Learn to Slow Down
To cultivate inner stillness, you need to push the ‘always doing’ mentality to the sidelines sometimes. Being proactive isn’t a bad thing, but it can become excessive. This is one of the downsides of Western culture because it encourages super productivity.
Instead of rushing through life, slow down and pace yourself. Try to find a state of flow with everything you do, and learn to chill out a little bit. Take your time with whatever you’re doing because life is not a race. As long as you find a rhythm with your actions, work, and tasks, you will start slipping into a flow state, which helps still the mind.
Appreciate the Present Moment
By properly appreciating what you have, you will naturally spend longer doing it. You will become more absorbed in the process because it makes you feel good. Appreciate the people you are with, the adventures you go on, and the opportunities that are presented, knowing that every moment is unique.
Change will inevitably happen and life will transition to different experiences. Don’t give so much importance to time, but prioritize the process. Notice every little positive occurrence, from a sunny day to falling in love, and learn to milk those experiences while they last rather than thinking about the next.
Sit With Your Emotions
Never push your emotions away, but learn to sit with them, regardless how much they suck. Feelings play a huge role in your life, and you should pay close attention to them.
When you are attentive to your emotions, you will start to find a stillness within them. That’s because when you make a habit of feeling your emotions, you will move back into your body.
Experiencing emotions is just as important as experiencing events and situations. Avoid analyzing the emotion or wondering why you’re feeling something. Savor the good emotions when they arise, and listen to the negative ones.
Get Into Your Body
Give more attention to your bodily awareness and focus on all the subtle sensations. Be deliberate with your movements and motions. Move slowly and do everything with care and compassion.
Notice your arms, legs, fingers, toes, nose, and ears. Feel the blood running through all of your body parts, the air filling up your lungs, the sweat forming on your brow. Notice the tension in your muscles, every sore, ache, and movement that your body makes.
Every time you lose focus, bring it back to your body. Pay attention to what sensations you feel regularly, to the movement of your body, and to what it is feeling.
Making Inner Stillness a Priority
Understand that cultivating inner stillness is a way of being that fruits via practice and discipline. The more you focus on the above suggestions and incorporate these new habits into your everyday life, the more you may find yourself stepping more into the quiet that’s often obscured by worries, thoughts, and plans.
Learning to find more inner stillness in your life is the best remedy to finding more calmness, peace, and ultimately, joy. Therefore, do your best to step into inner stillness and feel better about your life experience.