When Stillness Feels Just Out of Reach

What comes to your mind when you think of meditating? Eyes closed, legs crossed, sitting on the floor or couch, and the mind empty?

If you can do this and it works for you, I honestly am happy for you.

For me, and many people I speak with, this doesn’t work so well. It’s perhaps not the stillness we look for — it’s not like a sanctuary and feels like a strain.

I tried it so many times over the years because I desperately wanted quiet, peace, and stillness. I wanted to feel more grounded, less overwhelmed, and most of all, more in tune with myself.

But my efforts were mostly not successful — more the opposite. My mind got so much louder, the internal voice meaner, and at times, unbearable.

And here is a thought I have more and more these days: What if presence and mindfulness aren’t something that is earned or achieved through discipline with meditation, but something that can happen when we feel safe enough to soften up and let go.

The Silvermouse Way — Sound as Sanctuary

This brings me to my conversation with Joanne and Justin of Silvermouse. Because that chat made me feel like something clicked inside of me.

What they offer isn’t a performance as such, but an experience.

Being held outdoors, with presence in mind, and put together with carefully crafted sound that uses brainwave-inspired audio by the Monroe Institute.

They don’t tell you how to heal.
They don’t give you a checklist.
They simply invite you to listen.

And there was this moment — when Joanne said:
“The very part of you that’s trying to get calm… is the one that needs to step aside for calm to arrive.”

Wow. Let that sink in! Isn’t that so true?! We need to get that part of us out of the way so we can actually receive what we need!

Stillness doesn’t come from trying harder.
It comes from surrendering into something that already knows how to hold you.

A Personal Shift — A Quieter Chapter

If you’ve been part of this space for a while, you might have noticed that I am in a different chapter now. I call it my Chapter 2.

More reflective.
More intuitive.
More honest with myself.

And whilst my podcast has slowed down overall, I am creating a softer path forward by creating resources for overwhelmed introverts who feel emotionally exhausted.
I don’t want to teach people how to “fix” themselves. I am here doing my bit to guide them back to that inner rhythm that many have lost touch with.

Silvermouse reminded me that sound can be that guide. It doesn’t have to be dramatic or forced — it can be gentle, and sometimes a little out of the box.

It felt pretty good, too, when I realised that this new path I am slowly exploring and walking on — to use music as a guide for emotional wellbeing — matters more than I realised.

Music as Meditation (for People Who Can’t Sit Still)

Now let’s try to reimagine what mindfulness might look like.

If sitting still feels like punishment…

Or if silence makes your thoughts roar…

If you’re exhausted by the effort of feeling better…

Maybe don’t “meditate.”

Maybe listen instead.

I would love for you to try this:

• Choose a track that feels soft, steady, or curious
• Pop in your headphones
• Lie down. Or wander outside. Or stay exactly where you are.
• Let the sound wrap around you like a warm blanket
• Let yourself feel, without analysing or improving anything

You don’t need to get it “right” or feel any kind of pressure to achieve any outcome.

All you need is to be here. That’s it!

More suggestions for you to try, if you want:

Here are a few quiet steps into sound-based stillness:

• 🎧 Listen to Episode 103 with Silvermouse and notice what comes up for you (and maybe check out all their music and events, too)

• 🌿 Step outside with a calming playlist and watch the sky for five minutes

• 📥 Download my free Music Mood Tracker or 40 Music Power Statements if you want to take another step into including music and sound in your everyday life.

My Final Thought

I am truly learning that stillness isn’t something we can force. It is something we experience when we feel safe enough, in a space that makes us feel safe.

And I hope that music can be that space for you.

If you ever would like to chat about how this lands right now, with who you are and where you are in life, I invite you to book a Lighthouse Sound Session with me. You can find all the information on this page.