The (even more) Silent Why (& a bleak midwinter piano)

#090. Life is hectic. Christmas is hectic. Sometimes we simply need to stop for a moment. And that’s what this short episode is all about. 

Oh, and my brother-in-law's beautiful piano playing of one of my favourite carols.

Welcome to The Silent Why podcast, here to help you navigate loss and grief, and possibly... find hope. 

These very short, episodes will pop up every now and then to help you take a moment to check in and see how you're really feeling.  

Just under 7 minutes total, including 2 minutes of time for you and you alone - join me in for a few minutes of peace and allow yourself to press pause on life for a short while. 

And for this episode I'm asking you to stay where you are, rather than join me in a different location, and listen to the piano as you allow time to find out what you want, and need, this Christmas.

Thank you to Jon Sandys on the piano for 'In the Bleak Midwinter' (by Gustav Holst and Harold Darke).

Transcript

Hello. Welcome to the EVEN more Silent Why podcast. 

I don’t think it’s just me that's noticed how crazy and stressful and sad life feels nowadays? It's tiring, right? Relentless, hectic, hard work on all levels - mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually. There's pressure on all sides, even catching up with podcast episodes. And so many sad stories and people grieving, it can get a bit overwhelming. Then throw Christmas into the mix and you’ve got yourself a recipe for emotional disaster. So this version of The even more silent why is festive themed, but it’s to encourage/force you (and me) to do something we all need to do every now and then. Stop. Breathe. Be still. 
Give your mind two minutes to check in with you. 

You’ve probably got a million things on your mind right now, or maybe you’re in such a bad place that there’s nothing on your mind, either way I’m going to encourage you to sit down, or be still in some way and pretend there is no option to stop or fast forward. Because I want to give you just 2 minutes, just for you. Let’s face it, most podcast episodes you listen to are way longer than this one, so I know you have 2 minutes free and you know what, it might make all the difference to your day or your Christmas. 

In these short episodes I usually transport you somewhere different each time, to come with me, and then just ask you to just think about one thing. 

Today I’m keeping you where you are, and that might not feel great, but bear with me. I want you to find some peace and space in amongst the busyness of where you are right now, even if it’s just clearing the clutter and sitting in a small, peaceful corner of your mind. 

So let’s do that. Take a moment to turn your focus inward. Clear away the rubbish that’s in the corner of your mind that you’ve chosen, shut the door on the thoughts that want to crowd in, ignore the demands for jobs to be done, they’ll still be there in 2 mins…

And start with 3 deep breaths. 

1

2

3

Now, over the 2 minutes of beautiful piano music that my brother-in-law recorded for me last year for the podcast, I want you to ask yourself - What do I want from this Christmas and New Year? And what do I need from this Christmas and New Year?

It might not be as obvious as you think. Let your heart and mind answer you honestly. Don’t go searching for what you think you should say. Don’t just allow your mind to think of physical things either. Maybe you want some time off, to relax, to watch TV, to meditate, to paint, to shop, to eat mince pies, to see family, to be alone, to not be alone. That’s great, keep that in mind and try to do it. But then what do you also need? Maybe you need some time off, to relax, to paint, to pray, to reset, to forgive, to be alone, to not be alone, to restore faith, to find hope… Whatever it is.

So, ask yourself these two questions, and then wait. See what answers come up. 

What do you want from this Christmas and New Year? 
And what do you need from this Christmas and New Year?

[2 MINUTES OF PIANO PLAYING 'IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER']

Thank you, from me for joining me, but also they’ll be parts of your own body and mind that are grateful you stopped to notice them and check in. Whatever it is you identified, don't let this Christmas and New Year go without doing something about it. Recognising emotions, wants and needs is a powerful way to understand ourselves better, feel more in control, and improve our Emotional Intelligence. 

Maya Angelou said - 'My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour, and some style.'