My experience with “noise reduction”

If you weren’t addicted to being busy - what would you have to feel?

Reducing external noise may clear a smooth path for you to work on your dreams. This post is about my experience of learning that underneath the noise was my own internal discomfort, limiting beliefs and resistance.

Subconsciously, I kept the noise around because it gave me a reason to avoid what was underneath. Feeling overwhelmed felt safer than putting myself out there and pursuing my dreams.

Let’s go back to March 2024.

Without a proper job or looming deadlines, there was nothing to spark the fear that usually jolted me into motion. I was living at home, with a supportive father who would gladly let me stay there forever. I was caught in a perfect storm of comfort, which led to endless procrastination. Ironically, that comfort became deeply uncomfortable.

I was tired of dreaming without ever finding the fuel to act on those dreams. I was aware that my phone addiction was taking up a lot of my energy and attention. This relationship with the phone was an easy target to blame for my lack of productivity and I aimed to make a change.

I was asked to take care of a friend’s cats in New York for 6 days. I intended to use this trip as a retreat. Like a madman, I cleared out all of my inboxes beforehand. I gave myself permission to go offline and not check messages or the phone while I was in New York.

Boy was I surprised by what came next.

• I discovered that when I’m not feeding the machine (sending messages/replies), the inboxes remained empty - this was the goal.

• I quickly found out that I was deeply craving the exact noise that I was looking to eliminate.

Turns out that stressing over chaotic inboxes was less uncomfortable than facing my inner doubts and mental chaos.

The inboxes are external. I could blame them for not having time and feeling overwhelmed. While there’s an ounce of truth to that, there’s a more significant truth underneath. It’s easier to be the victim of your ‘busy life’ rather than taking ownership and assuming responsibility over your inner chaos.

Making contact with your inner chaos was a process for me. First you have to reduce the outer noise. If you’re addicted to the noise, this won’t come without resistance. It’s been a tool to buffer the emotions and discomfort that come from taking an honest look inside.

You may experience confusion when you turn down the external noise. At first, it will likely feel like you’ve taken steps “backwards.”

I quit using the phone and now my mind is racing like crazy,
I’m overwhelmed with mental activity.

Truth is, this was always happening, you weren’t giving yourself the space to witness it clearly.

This is a necessary step - you need to meet what’s inside if you want to deepen peace. Otherwise you will continue your attempts to manipulate life’s circumstances to feel good. This is exhausting and not sustainable.

Ultimately, you don’t get rid of the inner noise… you learn to be with it. The charge around the discomfort will start to lessen as you practice relaxing behind the madness of the mind. Over time, you create more space and capacity to be with the noise. In turn, there’s less charge, or rather, the charge effects you less, and the inner noise naturally begins to dissolve.

This post is particularly for those who are making attempts to turn reduce noise in their lives and deepen their connection with themselves. If it feels like you’ve gone backwards, this means you’re on the path.

You’ve been riding the bicycle with training wheels for many years. The training wheels in this context are the external distractions that distract you from your discomfort. Now we’ve taken the training wheels off and suddenly you feel off balance. This is how you grow.

Meeting the madness is the way. Be with it, try not to resist it. Create space for it. It’s a process, and in due time you’ll develop a capacity to be with the noise. Not only will this deepen your ability to meet yourself authentically, it will help you in how you respond to the crazy experiences that come with life.

You can’t stop thoughts and emotions from showing up. How we respond is where we hold the power.

Big hugs from Mexico,
Lee

Outer Noise buffers the discomfort of your inner noise.
When outer noise is reduced, you experience the inner chaos.
You may start to believe you are crazy, this means you’re on the path.
In reality, you’ve finally created space to see what’s truly going on inside your mind.

Learning to exist with the inner noise is the path to peace.