Finding time for silence and reflection often gets pushed aside. There’s too much to do to. You’ve been going, going, going and just want to lounge on the couch and watch a movie or listen to music. Maybe you don’t like silence. Maybe reflection isn’t something you’re used to and you can’t understand why someone would want to be so thoughtful about everything. Some people enjoy silence and reflection and others are struggling to use it wisely. Which one are you?
What we avoid: silence, reflection, and veggies.
I had a strange thought yesterday and I want to run it by you. I’ve been making a lot of changes to what and how I eat, so keep that in mind.
Our language about vegetables and silence are more similar than you’d think. Veggies are rich in nutrients and they are good for our bodies. Silence is rich in opportunity for clarity and it’s good for our minds.
Yet we like to avoid them.
Why do we always blame the veggies?
“Opps, I got too many veggies!” I bet we’ve all said that many times.
Or me just after my meal tonight, “I ate too many vegetables.”
Veggies aren’t the bad stuff. Do we really get or eat too many vegetables?
Thanks to some reading in this area, I am working to think different thoughts about vegetables. Like this, “Alright, I’m good. Half my plate is veggies.”
Or “I love steamed broccoli!”
Or “I ate too much meat (or bread, or potatoes).”
Do you hear the difference? With the thinking about veggies as something negative we are framing our experience of veggies as negative. Therefore we don’t eat as many of them. Veggies are really good for us though, so thinking of them in a positive way will likely improve our health.
The same goes for silence and reflection.
Why do we always blame the silence?
Ok, maybe not always, but think about sayings like these, “It’s too quiet in here!”
“I just spent way too much time thinking.”
Are you going to explode if it’s too quiet? (Extroverts, I see you nodding your heads yes.) Did you think that you could make a big decision without a bit of thought?
It’s so difficult these days to unplug, but it’s important for our clarity.
We open ourselves up to more clarity when we are able to spend time thinking about next steps, future goals, what we really want to do, and how we want to do it.
If we can see how our clarity is affected by our thoughts, we can work towards saying things like, “This quiet is just what I need to do some reflection on my day and see if there is anything to be learned from the day.” Or “I just had a very helpful reflective session and I feel clearer about my next steps.”
Silence is as good as veggies. Let’s not waste it or pass it up.
Do you enjoy silence and reflection or is it something that you have to work at?
Behavior Challenge: Turn off your screen after this post and sit in silence for a minute. Or, if you usually do things on the computer while listening to something in the background turn that background sound off. Be present to what you are working on or doing.
You thought I was going to make you eat veggies. That’s the Bonus Challenge.
However, if you are looking for a different way to approach your health and weight loss, or want to know where I got my energy for vegetables, read Mini Habits for Weight Loss (I currently don’t have any affiliate links).
Here’s more reading on changing those negative thoughts: What’s a Limiting Belief and Why Should I Care?
One behavior change at a time.
