The Scary Silence

You may think the outside world is scary — and you’re not wrong.
But what’s truly terrifying is sitting in silence with nothing but your own thoughts.

Life can sometimes feel like it’s stuck in fast-forward.
You rush from one task to the next until it’s midnight or later. You finally collapse into bed, doom scroll until your body begs for sleep — only to grab your phone again the moment you wake up.
That’s what’s really scary.

I make this point to bring awareness to how chaotic your mind and heart really are.
When your brain isn’t acting like a demonic clown juggling on a tightrope over the chasm of your consciousness, it’s no surprise that’s when you can finally rest.

But how do you get that clown to stop juggling and start sorting?

What Patience Really Means

Patience is “the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.”
A simple concept — until life actually tests it.

Evelyn and Rick O’Connell said it best:

patience often gets postponed until it’s convenient. (This is from The Mummy if you haven’t seen it, I recommend it)

And right now? It’s rarely convenient.
You’re too busy fighting off those circus clowns that are your anxieties in the mental coliseum.

Patience and stillness aren’t gifts you’re born with — they’re skills built through reflection, practice, and humility.
They’re how you learn where you’re grounded… and where you’re not.

The Tug-of-War Within

Just like you, I’m both patient and impatient.
When things are going as expected, I can wait for hours. But when something small goes wrong? Instant annoyance.

Practicing patience and stillness in daily life is a super skill — right behind getting a good night’s sleep.

Doug Powers, a professor of Buddhism, puts it perfectly:

“Patience and stillness are not just what you are doing when you are sitting for an hour.
It’s what you’re doing in the next hour or two when you are working on a project with someone or when someone is irritated because they’re upset with something.”
— Doug Powers, Patience and Stillness Are Not Just Sitting for an Hour

It’s easy to be calm in a quiet room. The real test comes when people or life act in “annoying” and unexpected ways — and you choose peace instead of reaction.

The Real Test

When you’re lying in bed on a lazy Sunday, patience is easy.
But what about Monday?

You wake up late, rush through your routine, spill your coffee, hit traffic.
That’s where patience actually lives — in the moments when your day doesn’t go your way.

“To lose patience is to lose the battle.” — Mahatma Gandhi

Some days, life is a battle — to eat, to sleep, to smile, to keep moving forward.
And in those moments, patience and stillness are your most powerful weapons.

Even animals know this.
A lion lies still in the tall grass, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
The tortoise wins the race because it doesn’t rush.

Patience isn’t passive — it’s trained strategy.

Your Body’s Role in Patience

Your parasympathetic nervous system controls your body’s relaxation response.
When you’re tense or anxious, your body slips into fight-or-flight mode.

By slowing your breathing, releasing tension, and grounding yourself, you train your body to respond calmly instead of reactively.
Over time, patience stops being something you “try to do.”

It becomes who you are.

Stillness brings Clarity and Clarity kills irritation

How to Practice Patience and Stillness

As mentioned in a previous post — it starts with sleep.
When you’re rested, you’re more patient, more grounded, and more in control of your energy.

Here are a few small ways to start:

• – Prioritize consistent sleep. A schedule keeps your body and mind stable.
• – Have a morning ritual. Don’t wake up five minutes before your day starts. Ground yourself first.
• – Take micro-meditations. A few deep breaths between tasks can reset your nervous system.
• – Journal or brain-dump. Get thoughts out of your head and onto paper.
• – Be okay with stillness. Silence isn’t your enemy — it’s your teacher.

“A restful night gives you a successful day.”

You don’t need to meditate for an hour or master Zen on your lunch break.
Even a few quiet moments — eyes closed, slow breathing, washing dishes — can bring you back to baseline.
Step outside, feel the air, and remind yourself: everything’s going to be okay.

The Takeaway

Patience and stillness aren’t luxuries for when life is calm.
They’re the tools you use because life is chaotic.

The more you practice being still — in traffic, during conflict, or while waiting on something important — the stronger your mind becomes.

So tonight, before you scroll one last time, try this:
Sit for one minute. Breathe. Listen. Don’t run from your thoughts.

Patience starts there.

Citation

• Powers, D. (2021, April 12). Patience and Stillness Are Not Just Sitting for an Hour. Dharma Realm Buddhist University.