QU-IET!!! QUI-ET!!! QUIET!!! Is this what your brain is screaming? Is this what your soul is crying out for?

If you are able, pause everything you are doing for a moment. Close your eyes. Inhale deeply. Hold a few seconds. Then exhale slowly. Repeat that ten times. Deep, cleansing breaths do the body good.

But we are in such a rush, in such a hurry that we don’t even take the time to BREATHE. Most of us are moving at such a frenetic pace, that even the thought of slowing down to breathe may not be very practical. One may even think, “Ain’t nobody got time for that”.

But I beg to differ. I say you can’t afford not to. We have so many things vying for our attention and the things are winning the battle. From the moment you wake up, your brain is bombarded and generally you are an active participant in the mayhem.

~Wake up and pick up your device to check your personal email, work email, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and the like.

~Turn on the news to check the weather

~Turn on the radio in your car or insert ear buds in your ear to listen to something

~If you take public transportation check social media again….and again. Be subjected to listening to the conservations around you.

~Arrive at destination and check email and social media again

~And it same continues all day and night

The onslaught of chatter, stimuli, ear noise and eye noise is endless.

You have to tell all that stimuli, “Be quiet! I’m trying to think”. God wants you to rest (click here for more on rest). He wants you to rest your brain. He wants you to make room to breathe. And to do so, you will have to be purposeful and intentional about quieting the chatter.

And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. Mark 6:31

But quieting the mind for some people is not so easy. The constant chatter of external noise is sometimes a diversion from having to confront the internal noise. Sometimes we don’t want to deal with our own thoughts.

I once stayed at a monastery for work related training. The grounds were beautiful: lots of trees, walking paths and a lake. The rooms were sparsely furnished: a bed, a dresser, a bible and a chair. No clock. No radio. No TV. No external stimuli; just me and my thoughts. It was a wonderful time for solitude and reflection.

But some in my group just couldn’t get with the idea of minimal external stimuli. Some of them in fact went to the manager and asked if a TV were on the premises. They were told yes there was one in a locked training room. They then went on to ask if they could be permitted into the room to watch the TV. The manager obliged and they went to watch TV. As they recounted this story the next morning at breakfast, I was amazed that they went to such lengths to fill the quiet.

Our minds need rest and quiet. In order for our brains to work as designed, they need periods of low activity so the brain can properly process and catalog the day’s events.

We need quiet time to examine our lives openly and honestly – spending quiet time alone gives your mind an opportunity to renew itself and create order. ~Susan L. Taylor

The benefits of creating mental white space are numerous.

~Clarity of thought

~Ability to hear clearly from God

~Ability to renew the mind

~Helps relax and calm you down

~Makes room for new creative ideas

~Helps keep emotions balance

~Creates an environment conducive for peace

~Creates room to address deeper thoughts and feelings

My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, In secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places Isaiah 32:18

So how do we create mental white space and breathing room?

~Practice deep breathing techniques

~Minimize social media

~Turn off the TV

~Turn off the radio

~Curb mindless eating

~Curb internet surfing

TV, radio, social media and the like have their place. And there are times we can extract useful information from these outlets. I am not saying they are inherently bad or wrong. What I am saying to in order to maximize on your mental, social, physical and emotional health, you have to give yourself opportunities to truly rest and quiet the mind.

You show honor to God when you honor Him in your temple. Your body needs adequate nourishment, exercise and rest. And we can find rest for the mind when we minimize external noise, address our internal chatter and embrace the quiet.

As always, I pray that you have been Inspired to Live Fully!