The Noise We Live In

We spend a lot of time talking about distractions like they are very obvious. We look at phones, the notifications, our social media, TV, and the barrage of endless information always competing for our attention. They definitely play a huge role, but the real challenge is just the actual distraction by itself. Sometimes it’s the amount of noise we allow into our lives all the time.

Yes, our new and modern world encourages a constant connection and a constant engagement with things. You cannot live in this world nowadays without there always being something we need to read, watch, think about, or respond to immediately all day, every day. When you wake up in the morning, there are new headlines. Right before we go to sleep, there is another headline, a new opinion, or another update on some other crisis or world event. All of these things either demand or compete for our constant attention. And over time, we can quickly mistake this as “awareness.” Maybe it’s a form of awareness, but even with this kind we tell ourselves that we are staying informed, staying up-to-date, or staying engaged. But underneath all of that continual movement and activity, there is a lot that can easily be lost.

Remember this, however: Clarity requires space.

Whenever our attention is constantly moving from one thing immediately to another, there leaves almost miniscule room for anything to be completely understood. Thoughts become disjointed and fragmented. Our true feelings are interrupted before we have a chance to let them be recognized. Our experiences are quickly replaced by the next fleeting “thing” of the day. And, as you can imagine, they command our attention. This is the kind of internal noise that follows all day long. And most times, we don’t even notice it. It has become so common, something so “used-to” that it hardly even matters.

In the Kind Rebirths space, mindfulness isn’t about disconnecting from life. It’s not about isolating ourselves from the outside world. Nope. It’s about becoming aware of how our attention is being used. It’s about noticing how often we inadvertently move away from our thoughts and feelings. It’s about how often we move on from opportunities to reveal something unseen or meaningful way too soon. Mindful awareness allows us to pause long enough to see not only what’s on the surface, but also what’s underneath it.

Not all distractions are interruptions. Some are invitations. They may invite us in by taking us away from reflections, sometimes from discomfort, and sometimes from ourselves. And the more frequently we accept them, it becomes that much harder to hear our own true, clear internal thoughts clearly.

I’m not here telling you to cut every distraction but try recognizing when some noises become so loud that we can no longer hear ourselves. Sometimes the clarity we are searching for isn’t hidden from us at all. Sometimes it’s just buried beneath all that NOISE.

Stay mindful…

Rebirth