A quiet and relaxing place can be hard to come by, especially in a world that always seems to be on. However, do not let this discourage you, finding a quiet place is not impossible, quiet places are often overlooked. Identifying the perfect quiet place for you, is as simple as finding the place in which you are left alone with your thoughts. For some people this may be the drive to work or home each day, time spent at the gym, the drowsy ten to fifteen minutes when you are just waking up, and other overlooked moments.
Too many people look at a quiet place as a destination when it is simply a state of mind. They have been fooled by propaganda of escaping to “paradise”, or taking time out of their schedule to meditate in specific settings, on someone else’s schedule. Finding your quiet place is not a task of finding an area in which you can hear a pin drop, but rather recognizing those moments in the day in which you are able to mindfully be alone with your thoughts.
Unfortunately, many people shun these moments simply because they don’t want to be alone with their thoughts, and no one has taught them how to deal with their inner being. They would rather drown their thoughts out with music, conversation, video games, Netflix, and other distractions.
These moments are the best times to meditate because your mind and body are in tune. You are in a place in which your “eureka” moment can occur because you are not emotional, overthinking, or over analyzing situations in life.
The problem is, the longer one refuses to deal with their inner self, the more it reflects negatively on your outer self. The American Psychological Association has linked the connection between the mind and body, showing that people who carry mental weight, i.e. depression or stress, often are also overweight or obese. This flies in the face of the thought that people are depressed because they are overweight or obese.
Therefore, they move from one diet to the next because the mental aspect of their weight is being ignored. Instead of exploring why overeating is occurring, the symptoms (weight gain) is continuously treated. Therefore, the dieter is left on a roller coaster of weight gain and weight loss, often blaming the diet for lack of progress.
This is just one example of how ignoring your quiet space can negatively affect you. Acknowledging and embracing your quiet spaces in life will lead to a more healthy and whole you.