The Power of Stillness; why do we struggle with it?
- M Hakikah Shamsideen
- Mar 5, 2023
- 4 min read
On March 1st in the S.h.e. Collective Facebook group, we began our journey with, "Wholly Holy: 40 days of Renewal through Ritual."* The participants are midway through Week 1 of the 40-day/6-week devotion.
This week our focus ritual is: Still Your Mind.
In my own time of meditation, I wondered, what does stillness look like for you? How do you access it? Is it hard to do? Why?
Spirit revealed three things about being still.
Being still doesn’t mean to just physically BE STILL, stopping doing what you know to do.
Being still means to be still in our mind, at peace in our heart and spirit, regardless of what’s going on around us.
Being still means, don’t be anxious, worried, tight, or frantic about things. BEING STILL means to stop fighting the battles you know you can’t win in your own strength.
Periodically I switch up my routines because different seasons of my life call for different things. You don’t have to force yourself to repeat the same routine when your life may call for something else. I will say I can do so with fluidity BECAUSE I'm already anchored; I've been at it for decades. When you are establishing a routine, habit, and ritual of any kind, consistency in your practice is a must! Practice means to do it again and again. And practice yields proficiency.
It is when you consistently show up for YOURSELF you discover true freedom and peace. It's a promise kept.
For the third time, I’m reading “Win the Day”, by Mark Batterson. This book is so good! One of the things I love is the discussion guide for each chapter. During my morning devotion, I read a chapter, then the guide questions. I meditate on them and write my responses in my journal. It helps me fully integrate what I’ve read, and I have notes to refer back to when necessary. It’s a great way to begin if you find it difficult to sit still for 15-30 minutes.
One of my greatest spiritual breakthroughs came years ago when my ritual was to get up every morning, sat in my same chair, light my candle, incense, and listen to gospel music. I’d sit and write in my journal whatever came up and when the time was up, I’d pray and get ready for the day.
I had been doing this for a month when one day I sat down to began my routine and Spirit poured thoughts into my head. I picked up my pen and literally began taking dictation!
What I was writing was the full outline of what would become a groundbreaking Bible Study course on the women around Jesus. At first, I thought it was to be a play, it was so vivid—I had the music and could actually see the choreography! I created short vignettes that were presented at the church, highlighting 4 of the women, and it was well received. I realized people wanted to know more about biblical women so I created an 8-week course—Living Water: Jesus Speaks to Women™️, —from the initial outline I had been given. Spirit gave me everything I needed to teach, AND also sent the students! That course broke the church's record for Bible study registration. I never looked back or doubted the power of simply sitting in the presence of God.
The reward is in sticking to it. Don’t give up. Even if you only sit for 5 minutes, do it daily. The power is in the intention and your presence, the ritual, and your devotion. Show up, and wait!
This week on Instagram, I saw a post from Dr. Nicole LePera, @the.holistic.psychologist, author of “How To Do The Work.”
She posted a series of slides asking, ARE YOU ADDICTED TO YOUR OWN BODIES STRESS HORMONES? Signs you’re running on cortisol and what it can look like. They are:
Chronic patterns of high-level conflict in relationships
Never being able to sit still. Always going.
Over-scheduling yourself.
Always finding yourself in drama of some kind—personal and work-related.
Lack of boundaries.
When we are addicted to cortisol, rest actually feels uncomfortable. Why? the body is in flight response.
We’re tired (from the stress), and wired, (from the threat). This is all subconscious Many of us don’t know we’re addicted to this cycle because it’s normal to us, or what we call life. We feel bored, or in need of distraction when we’re not stimulated by the stress response. We need more and more stress to feel like ‘ourselves”.
Do we have the courage to practice being still? To stop consuming things (and people) that cause these spikes, to set boundaries, to rest, to meet ourselves?
As someone commented, this is why meditation can make some people uncomfortable. It's not that it's not for you or that there is something wrong with you. You need to apply tools to take you through.
When you are aware that your uncomfortably comes from this addiction to stress, you’ve won half the battle. When the urge to bolt hits, calm yourself with deep breathing, at least 10 breaths, until you relax. You can do this!
Check ot the entire post here
*It's not too late to join Wholly Holy. It's free, and you go at your own pace. Join us here
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