Your Quest for Quiet through Wintering
Are you tired of trying to tune out the noise?
As Spring begins sprouting and there’s a burst of bold colours, I begin to reflect on the previous season and the idea of wintering, as well as my subsequent quest for quiet.
On my quest for quiet, I have come to appreciate the stillness so much more. There is something so sacred to be found in the stillness, where our mind is empty and our thoughts roam free in wide open space, untethered, unencumbered by the noise.
Many people do not come to fully appreciate stillness until they are so laden down with life on loudspeaker. Only then are they beckoned to come lay down, exhausted, overstimulated in a quiet dark corner somewhere.
As someone who would describe herself as sensitive and introverted, I have found it is so much more of a challenge to seek solace and an absence of noise. It’s a deafening duet of people against the world, whether its clashing opinions, the screech to be seen and the ringing rumble of rioting and hate in-between.
Noise pollutes everything. From the impromptu ads that pop up, to people shouting over the phone, to the fact that most places you go, seem to want to re-create a club atmosphere with a kind of bass that rattles you.
I knew since a few years ago that auditory sensitivity is a very real experience for many people, whether you’re aware of it or not. I do not condone the rhetoric that this is a product of being part of a generation of so called ‘snowflakes.’ The term that denotes the idea that we cannot handle the pressures of modern life, unlike the previous generations.
We are a generation that is more overstimulated than ever before, so therefore don’t we owe it to ourselves to extend some self-compassion? never before have we had to fine-tune a life that is not necessarily removed from noise completely, but is not drowning us out by the decibel.
The act of wintering is a concept that really facilitates this quest for quiet. During winter, nature and wildlife hibernates and in that state, there is no noise, no desperate urge to be or do. It’s a divine instruction to ‘be still’ and savour that very stillness.
A return to the ethereal echoes of the earth, birdsong, the wind whistling in the trees. However, the act of wintering does not necessarily have to correlate solely to the season, it can occur at any point in the year. We can retreat from the noise and submerge into those subterranean parts of ourselves and just surrender to that spiritual solace.
I like to think that when God crafted Eden in the beginning, his intention was not to fill it with unnecessary noise, but rather to encourage a natural rhythmn. One that is in sync and rhymes with the seasons, so attuned to our earthly bodies, our nervous systems. One that we do not feel the urge to block out or run from, but freely flows, washing over us with a sense of wonder and awe. A crackling fire, water flowing, a baby gurgling.
In the same way, there is a gentle tenderness in the way in which God communicates to people. It has been described as ‘a low whisper.’ (1 Kings 19:8-9). In the Bible, prominent people like Moses, Joshua and Elijah spent some time wintering with God in the stillness. Wintering in this context is not just an act of isolating oneself in hibernation, but also a state in which to process our pain.
All three of these men spent time alone with God. Elijah was depressed and desperate, whereas others such as Moses held a profound level of fear. However, each person returned from their time restored and renewed. Something only God and his sacred silence could give.
It’s not the absence of noise that we long for, but an escape from the mindless noise that invades your mind and memory. The need for that soft swell of near silence that saturates our bones, a reminder that we belong.
Hibernating in His heavenly presence, a gift that the world will try and distract you from with jarring, unsettling sounds of shame and blame-inducing ‘you haven’t got this done.’ Urging you to fill your mind with more anxiety that makes you freeze or run, and slamming the need to be stoic when all is said and done.
Katharine May discusses the role of wintering from her experiences with illness, that literally forced her to slow down and evaluate which she explores in her book ‘Wintering.’
‘Wintering is a season in the cold. It is a fallow period in life when you’re cut off from the world, feeling rejected, sidelined, blocked from progress, or cast into the role of an outsider. Wintering, though hard and unwanted is also inevitable.’
‘Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible.’
-Katharine May
I attribute so much of May’s wintering with the change and rebirth that comes when we retreat from the noise, the grinding hustle that grates on us. The quest for quiet comes at a price.
The many crucibles that make up this life, the heartaches, hardships and suffering are inevitable. On the other hand, it is God’s gentle arms that graciously carry us through each and every one. If we are patient and willing enough to retreat into the quiet at His command.
My quest for quiet came at a time when I was so overwhelmed and stressed by the clanging chaos. I just struggled to properly function, overwhelmed with the mental load of trying to stay emotionally regulated. I had no creative energy and my reserves were spent on maintaining my essential relationships.
This was until God came along and removed me from it, with His promise that He will restore. This may take a season, but all I had to do was commit to this quest for quiet. Here is what helps me stay balanced, cultivating an inner peace as a highly sensitive woman of faith:
daily time in the Bible, meditating on His word
Journalling any promptings or thoughts that may occur
Slow mindful movement like Yoga/Pilates
Creating and/or maintaining a safe sanctuary where you can switch off
Noise cancelling headphones or Loop earplugs in loud places
A soundscape to sleep to, could be nature or comforting bible scriptures
God has taught me that in this quest, I do not need to be in control, that certain tools can help along the way, but He is ultimately the author of every season and my place to surrender.
As Ecclesiastes 3 teaches us that there is a season for everything.
For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
God makes everything beautiful for its own time. So take heart in your quest for quiet, because you never know what He might be unveiling to you in the process.
If you are also on a similar quest for quiet, please let me know in the comments below.
With Love
Georgie x
"Noise pollutes everything" wowww, I've never thought of it like that but it's such a perfect statement that exemplifies exactly how it feels
Very well written and full of emotional energy...
Thank you