Stillness vs Consumption

It was one of those moments.

I had, essentially, a moment of quiet. An empty slot of time to do nothing but wait.

Your first thought may be, “Good for her. I never have those.” I’m guessing, if you thought about it, you just might.

Standing in a checkout line.

Showing up for a movie with friends and being the first to arrive.

Sitting in the car waiting for school to let out.

Standing at the counter waiting for the coffee to brew.

Throughout our day, there are little moments of time where we are waiting but we may find it hard to identify them as such because we are so used to filling them up. Those scenarios I listed, many of them would be quickly followed by:

I picked up my phone or

I tuned on a podcast or

I turned on the radio

How often do we, instead, just wait.

We have turned into a people of consumption, so much so that we have a hard time not filling our entire day with it. The downside (well, one of the many) is that we have left little to no room for waiting, quiet contemplation, and thought.

If we are constantly filling our lives with noise, consumption, and drivel, we leave little room for the quiet, the fullness, the satisfaction - of stillness.

Stillness is a powerful thing. It allows us space and time to replenish our reserves. It is an anti-stress fix that helps us to ‘chill out’ without ‘checking out.’ We get so caught up in consumption and being told what to think and how to act that we can quickly lose sight of what we actually value and want to be.

Be conscious of your consumption. Be aware of when you pick up your phone simply because you have nothing else to do. When you find yourself doing that, turn your phone to Do Not Disturb and set it back down. If you’re in a place where you can find a quiet corner, do so. Give yourself 5 minutes (maybe even 10!) and do nothing. Don’t read, don’t listen to music, don’t turn on a podcast. Simply sit in silence and become comfortable with stillness.

I’m not promising a grand fanfare the first time you do it. That first 5 minutes will either feel like torture because you feel like you should be doing something or a struggle not to fall asleep because you finally sat still.

But I believe that if you start to build this into your life, give space for quiet and stillness, you will notice a positive change. Eventually that peace you receive from sitting still will be carried with you through the day. 

Let’s be more intentional with our thoughts, not allowing them to be overtaken by what we consume, but instead aligned with what we truly value. Perhaps we’ll find less need for that consumption and comparison and find fulfillment in our present moment instead.

Challenges/Points:

• We are a society of consumption, and we are quick to fill every moment with taking something in.

• Be conscious of your consumption and how much of your free time is spent doing it.

• Plan a time of stillness this week.

Questions:

• How do you fill your small moments of free time?

• How does the thought of being still for 5 minutes make you feel?

• What can you change in your daily habits to build stillness into your life?

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