Clear Away the Noise

We are moving through one of noisiest moments in recent history (global pandemic, election cycle, Supreme Court appointment, etc, etc, etc.). Rather than falling victim to the noise, we can choose to clear it away and commit to forward motion and progress. 

There are two kinds of noise we are dealing with here: the internal noise and the external noise. 

The internal noise sounds like the stories you tell yourself, your fears, your limiting beliefs, your imposter syndrome, the voice inside your head, the Resistance. 

When we clear away our internal noise, we don’t just flip a switch and turn it off. Clearing away that noise looks like leaning in, digging in, making more productive choices, and shifting the internal narrative. 

The internal noise, at its core, is all about fear. 

To clear a fear, you must first be willing to name it. 

Once you give it a name, you can decide what to do with it. 

Let me give you an example. 

The voice in my head is saying

“Jen, you’re screwed. You will never ever ever catch up with all of the work you have to do. This is a runaway train.”

Ooh, that is noisy. 

To clear away that noise I have to recognize that the voice in my head is stating a fear, not a fact.

I can name this fear. 

“I am afraid that I will never ever ever catch up with all of the work I have to do. I am afraid that this is a runaway train.”

Now that I have named my fear, I can engage with it. I can use my mindset tools, my time management tools, my self-care tools, or any of my other tools to find a way forward. 

For this particualar fear, I’ll chose my Fear-to-Faith tool and name a faith statement to show me what is on the other side of my fear. 

“I have faith in my ability to slow down, establish priorities, ask for help, and move forward with intention.”

Ahh, much better. 

The external noise is a different story.

Unlike the voice in your head, which deserves the energy and emotional labor to reframe, the external noise is something that you could turn off… if you choose to. 

Clearing away the external noise could look like:

• Deleting social media apps from your phone. 

• Installing a newsfeed blocker on your computer.

• Turning off the 24 hour news cycle. 

• Limiting the number of hours you spend watching tv.

• Sitting in silence. 

• Calling a friend. 

• Taking a walk without your headphones in.

• And so much more.

You choose.