The (even more) Silent Why (& a forest walk)

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

Oh, and the beautiful sounds of the Eternal Forest in Wales…

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

These new, 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.  

7 minutes total, including 2 minutes of time for you and you alone - join me in an imaginary place and allow yourself to press pause on life for a short while. 

And for this episode I'm asking you to come for a stroll with me down the peaceful paths of the Eternal Forest natural burial ground in North Wales, listen to the birds, the quiet, and nature just doing it's thing around you. 

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 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. So I've decided, to help me as much as you, I'm going to occasionally put out an episode to encourage/force you 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 experienced listening to a podcast with adverts, and the advert comes on at a time when you can’t fast forward, so you’re stuck with your hands in the washing up bowl, or you’re in the shower, or you’re driving and you’re forced to listen to the whole advert… Well, I kinda hope you’re in one of those situations now, because I’m going to encourage you to do something and feel like you just have to do it. 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, you came to this episode expecting it to be at least 30 minutes anyway, so I know you have 2 minutes free and you know what, it might make all the difference to your day. 

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

Today I’m taking you with me to the natural burial ground - The Eternal Forest in North Wales (for more on that - listen to our full episode on it). And we’re going to wander into the woodland, to listen to the birds (and the flying insects), as we process today's question. 

Take a moment to just turn your focus inward. 

And start with 3 deep breaths. 

Now, over the next 2 minutes, I want you to ask yourself - What are you putting off?

It might not be as obvious as you think. Don’t let your mind just bring up things like ‘the washing’, ‘the ironing’, ‘tidying the garage’ etc. Go deeper. What in life are you putting off but you know you shouldn’t be? It might be because it would bring you joy but you’re not ready for it, it might be that it’s a difficult conversation that you don’t want to have, it might be something you’ve wanted to start but haven’t got round to, it might be a new routine you want to put in place but you’re being lazy, it might be a new hobby you know will help you, an important phone call or a letter you want to write, maybe you want to stop a bad habit, face a relationship issue, sort out your life, see a counsellor, get help for something from a professional, start that business, write that book, face that grief, move on from the hurt, tell the truth, share something deep, whatever it is, we all have something I’m sure. 

So don’t try to name the physical things around you that need doing, find the thing that you know you need to do for your own mental or physical health. And ignore the excuses that will come to mind of ‘not enough time’, ‘not the right time’, ‘not enough money’, ‘not enough space’, ‘not strong enough’, ‘not brave enough’, etc. Because if it's coming to mind now, if it’s that important that it’s pressing to the forefront of your mind, then maybe it’s something you need to find a way to do. So ask yourself the question, and then wait. See what the answer is. 

So… what are you putting off?

[2 MINUTES OF SOUNDS FROM THE ETERNAL FOREST]

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 it go without doing something with it. Recognising emotions is a powerful way to understand ourselves better, feel more in control, and improve our Emotional Intelligence.

Matt Haig said:

You are not your feelings. You just experience them. Anger, sadness, hate, depression, fear. This is the rain you walk in. But you don’t become the rain. You know the rain will pass. You walk on. And you remember the soft glow of the sun that will come again.