Quiet the mind

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As the environment gets louder
I struggle to quiet the mind

New York is as loud as it gets
Honks, sirens, screams
The big city is a whirlpool of stimulus

Drowning in the noise
I search for an escape

Jamming headphones in my ears
I construct a barricade

The band steals the mic
The podcaster parlays advice
Yet as I replace the noise with more noise
I still can’t hear my True Self

I’m deaf to the whispers
I’m blind to the signs
As I struggle to quiet the mind

So what does it feel like when I actually do?

When I turn down the volume of the brain
When I drop into the home of the heart

When I give up processing
When I give up planning

When I refuse the hustle
When I release the hunger

When I decide I’ve had enough
When I decide I am enough

When I create the space
Rather than optimize it
When I replace the struggle with peace

When I arrive at relax
When I slow into flow

When I cease the rush
And just be

What does it feel like?
Who am I then?

I guess I’ll have to silence to see

“Yes, yes, wonderful poem, Trent. But enough with the flowery prose, give us some tactics.”
“Alright. You got it!”

So, what works for me?

I rest:
Sleep
Nap
Non-sleep deep rest

I do nothing (but breathe):
Meditate
Breathing exercises

I slow down my body:
Walk

I slow down my mind:
Daydream. In a way that’s not pointed at my day, my past, or my future.
My mind isn’t running, it’s strolling. A casual walk in the park, enjoying the view of the flowers and the sunshine, rather than sprinting to burn calories.
Sometimes I’ll just lay in bed. This is where many of my best ideas come to meet me. Late at night or early in the morning, when I’m half asleep, just letting my subconscious do its thing.

I slow down my thoughts:
Journaling. The pace of my thoughts are confined to the pace of my handwriting. My mind is incentivized to slow down to avoid getting too far ahead.

I flow:
Running. With no destination or agenda. Sometimes I blast rhythmic music. Other times I listen to nothing at all.
Skiing
Surfing
Swimming
MMA
Any way I can turn up the activity to turn down the volume.

I play:
Volleyball
Dance
Improv

I get grounded in nature:
There’s no quiet quite like being lost in the snow-covered trees of the mountain
There’s no quiet quite like bobbing in the waves of the ocean
There’s no quiet quite like sitting by the bank of a stream