Stillness: Healing for the heart and mind
The counsellors at Stillness for the Heart discuss the concept of stillness, ways to cultivate stillness in our everyday lives, and its role in therapy and recovery.
In our fast-paced modern lives that have prioritised productivity, efficiency, and social mobility, finding moments of stillness can feel like a luxury reserved for planned vacations or retreats. In recent years, however, more attention has been given to healthier lifestyles and better mental wellness - often requiring an intentional slowing down and doing less.
In the words of travel author writer Pico Iyer from his 2014 TED talk on the art of stillness: “In an age of acceleration, nothing can be more exhilarating than going slow. And in an age of distraction, nothing is so luxurious as paying attention. And in an age of constant movement, nothing is so urgent as sitting still.”
To Oliver, mindful meditation helps him achieve a sense of stillness amid the busyness of life.
“We have lots of things on our minds every day. When I sit and meditate, my mind is still and I become more comfortable with where I am. The thoughts are still there, but they are further away.”
Practical techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, and mindfulness exercises can help us cultivate stillness in our lives. These practices not only promote relaxation, but also enhance mental clarity and our ability to manage stressful situations.
“Stillness can be healing for the heart and mind.”
Other things can include going for walks, listening to music, creative arts, or reading a book. Reading, for example, allows us to focus on something that is more enjoyable.
“You’re giving your mind a pause, basically, and that is stillness for me. Stillness is pausing,” says Sofia.
Cultivating stillness can serve as a way to reconnect with ourselves and navigate the complexities of life with greater ease. It can also be helpful in the way we manage and perceive our problems.
“A lot of struggles in mental health are about noise - that is, overthinking, a lot is happening in the mind and in real life. We suffer a lot more because of the noise our minds are creating.”
Like the analogy of bringing down the volume, it is stillness or pause that can help us with the noise.
“Life is suffering. But on top of the suffering, the way we think can make us suffer even more. And that is where therapy comes in, to tone that down and for us to go through the suffering together,” says Alex.
When we have a lot on our minds, turning our focus away for a while can help us gain a different perspective or experience with a problem.
“If we are able to catch ourselves begin to spiral, we can intentionally turn our attention to something that brings us momentary pause or stillness.”
The problems may still be there, but the way we relate to them could be completely different after that.
That is really the core of therapy: changing how we relate to people, to things, and to problems.
“If we are able to change the way we relate to them, a lot of things may not seem so big or unsolvable anymore.”
Oliver believes strongly in finding stillness in the therapy room.
“When you come for therapy or counselling and the thoughts quieten down, that is when the healing can happen. Stillness can be healing for the heart and mind.”
To connect with a therapist, please feel free to reach out to us via email or schedule an appointment.
