How to Relax: 4 Reasons to Enjoy the Silence

Dec 5, 2024 | Love God, Self Love | 0 comments

Knowing how to relax sounds simple, yet relaxing can be hard to find, especially in the Christmas season. We live in a world that thrives on speed and noise. As things spin faster and noisier; it’s now more critical to put yourself in a timeout to relax. Why? Because healthy solitude will fill your soul and renew your mind, this my friend will clarify the steps you take each day. Learn how to reap the rewards of truly relaxing to feed your mental health. Embrace these 4 rock-solid ways of knowing how to relax.

enjoy the silence mountain snow covered village

Silent Night, Holy Night, All is calm, all is bright.

Silent Night, the Christmas song, was composed in 1818. This now-traditional Holiday tune debuted all because of an organ…that broke. Without the help of an ill organ who knows if this song would have surfaced; oddly, silence accelerated its success.

How does knowing how to relax help your success?

Recently I saw a commercial, not sure what it was selling, but it did leave me wondering what ‘peace’ really was. In the commercial, we see a couple who left the big city to go camping in the woods. Due to their over joyous accomplishment of setting up camp, they were seeking serenity. However, when night fell and all was calm, they were restless and frustrated. Then one of them downloaded a ‘noise app’ on their phone. Ironically it played cars honking, emergency sirens blaring, and dogs barking…all was ‘calm’ and they instantly fell asleep. What is ‘your silence’?

Our ‘silent night’ is not only where our souls settle down, but it’s where peace waits and where ideas birth. Outside of bedtime, do you intentionally turn off the NOISE?

How to relax: 4 solid reasons to make it happen

1. To hear from God

The most likely time God will talk to us is when we’re relaxed…quiet…still…and alone with Him. Jesus went away all the time to be with the Lord. Why wouldn’t we make time to be alone with God too?

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16

As I said earlier this world will swallow you up with noise, drama, and distractions; so much so that you’ll miss what God is trying to tell you, show you, and bless you with. When we don’t stop to be with the Lord in private, the world will devour us and we will completely miss the blessing God has for us; and this is exactly what the Enemy wants!

In Romans 12:2 Paul says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (NIV). Make this your prayer. Spend time in healthy solitude with God to allow intimacy with Him. He wants your attention so He can love you more than you will ever know. His promises surface when you spend time with Him. There is a transformation in His presence when you make time to be alone with Him and ultimately rest in His arms.

2. Creativity

Inc. Magazine says…awesome creative work can be achieved by shutting out the outside world, whilst you insanely focus on your craft. Do you say you’re not creative? That’s not true! My go-to for taking my mind off things is to put my colored pencils to work and get my hands busy. Develop your hobby and reap the rewards. Tap into relax-mode with a coloring book, here’s one to get you started: The Psalms in Color.

Hence, to get all the benefits of relaxing and creativity, not to mention, getting outside, take up gardening or walking…without the earbuds. Did you know that nature can enhance your creativity and problem-solving skills?

3. Problem-solving

Physically turning off the noise calms our thoughts. We can then think through our issues without distraction. The phrase “Sleep on it” makes a lot of sense now. There is truth in ‘sleeping on it’; not only does it help us think through things, but it restores our bodies, and reduces stress. One of the key tools I use to fall asleep and stay asleep is my white noise machine. Our family has 4 of these amazing things! Seriously, this is a game-changer and has improved all of our sleep and sanity.

4. Restoration in health

Scientifically, the Huffington Post reports that researchers found that two hours of silence daily led to the development of new cells in the hippocampus, a key brain region associated with learning, memory, and emotion. If you can’t get complete silence, the white noise machine as I mentioned above is a great alternative. It helps drown out the distractions with little noises. Again, I LOVE this tool!

The Power in Silent Night

In the dancing noises of our world many of us, unfortunately, will miss these life-enhancing riches. We’ll wander in the racket and wonder why our prayer hasn’t been answered, why this particular problem still lingers, why we feel like we just exist, and why our bodies hurt all the time.

Josef Mohr, author of Silent Night, pondered on what to do about his broken organ. Christmas Eve was the next day, people were expecting music! So he hiked up a hill.

It was there where he looked down at the snow-covered village where he could be in ‘his silence’. It was there where he relaxed yet, gained the courage to turn his poem into a legendary song.

family sitting in a snowbank enjoy the silence of winter

“The trees, the flowers, the plants grow in silence; the stars, the sun, the moon move in silence. Silence gives us a new perspective.”
Mother Teresa

How to relax recap

The next day, Christmas Eve, Josef approached his organist, Franz Xaver Gruber, and within 3 hours Franz composed the melody via guitar. Silent Night has been sung ever since. Are you making an effort to be in silence a little bit every day?

“Silence” grows, moves, and it gives. How much is ‘your silence’ worth? Recharge by spending some time to relax in silence. You might be surprised at what you hear and how amazing you’ll feel. If you haven’t gotten a daily devotional yet for this year, it’s never too late. One of my favorites is Jesus Calling.