When you think of being “still”, what comes to mind?

Do the terms “lazy” or “unproductive” come to mind at all? Frankly, they do for many people, and I’m here to say that stillness is necessary for our mental well-being and overall health. Being still truly means without movement or sound and, as humans, we can use movement and sound to drown out a lot.

We all live busy lives and could be doing something at every given moment of every single day. There’s just not enough time some days and it can feel like a never-ending race to check things off the to-do list. On the other hand, being still means we take a second to breathe and feel the emotions we’ve been pushing aside or drowning out. I’ll let you in on a little secret, we all do this. It’s so common for people to stay busy to not address what’s really happening for us internally.

Moments of stillness can be scary for many of us.

Let’s work on making it less scary and notice the benefits it can have on our minds and bodies. I invite you to take 30 seconds today to sit in stillness. Maybe the absolute noiseless environment is too overwhelming and that’s ok. Sometimes our bodies need time to adjust to being still when it’s not used to it, so let’s take it a step at a time.

Instead, try sitting somewhere that feels restful and take in your environment around you. What are the components that make that spot restful? Is it a nearby plant that is flourishing, or the hum of the fan beside you, or the smell of a candle burning on the table? Take it all in with deep breaths and notice what happens for you.

You deserve to take a breath in this chaotic world we live in and you can give yourself that gift every day.