Silence & Darkness

Day in and day out, I put a decent amount of words on digital or physical paper. Keyboards, touchscreens, speech to text: the phrases come in droves, and they likely will till I breath my last.

And honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. Writing is as much a part of who I am as breathing and thinking, and at times, just as impulsive. Even so, or rather, because this is so, I can often forget that I occasionally need to stop. Not just to take a break, or to keep myself from burning out, but to very deliberately, cease the act of writing. To consciously halt the process that always seems to be running in the RAM of my mind.

And typically, that isn't possible for me, at least not without taking drastic measures. You see, we are constantly surrounded by phones and computers and tablets and notebooks: it is simply TOO easy to take notes and write things down. And while that's almost always a positive thing, it works against me when I need real, tangible mental rest.

There's only one way to get that: sit myself in a dark room with no noise and no screens.

Now, I'll admit that this might be borderline psychopathic behavior (some have suggested as much, maybe joking maybe not) but consider it for just a moment. We are all surrounded by so much stimuli every day that the only time we aren't being bombarded by something (voluntarily or otherwise) is when we're asleep.

But sleep isn't always restful for one such as I. Vivid dreams are great for, you guessed it, more writing, but where am I to go for true mental rest?

Only to the darkness and quiet. Emo and edgy as it sounds.

I believe many people could benefit from this type of therapy, if they'd only be willing to try it. It's accessible, needs no special tools, and can instill a palpable, non-synthesized peace. And of course, it isn't some new, groundbreaking idea, people have been meditating like this since the beginning, but it's so simple that it's easy to forget how effective it can be.

No screens. No light. No noise. No need to interact with anyone. No quest for entertainment. Just me, alone with my brain but not asleep.

I have noticed, of course, that this suggestion terrifies many people. I can understand that certain folks simply can't stand the idea of disconnecting: there are times when silence is louder than anything. It's not for everyone, but it's definitely for me.

I've said it before and it will be repeated time and time again: if I'm to finish this novel, I can't allow myself to break down. Proper care of the mind is paramount to my success.

Sometimes the most productive thing I can do is put the productivity on hold: even assembly lines need regular maintenance and calibration.