The Noise Around Us, The Quiet Within

I’m sitting by the pool in Mallorca as I write this.

Children are laughing.

Music drifts across the water.

Conversations rise and fall around me in different languages – some I understand, some I don’t.

Inflatable balls land near my sun-bed.

Children leap into the pool, sending waves of water over everyone nearby.

Boats move gently across the sea beyond.

It’s vibrant.

It’s alive.

And it’s noisy.

Not just outside, but inside too.

Because while the world carries on around us, our minds often join in…..

What do I need to do when I get home?

Have I replied to that message?

Should I be promoting my next workshop?

I hope Mum’s enjoying herself.

Is Isabella okay in the pool?

I must remember…

What if…

The external noise awakens the internal noise and before long, we’re no longer sitting by the pool; we’re sitting inside our heads.

I’ve spent years believing that peace meant silence.

A quiet room. No interruptions. The perfect conditions to meditate or simply breathe.

But life rarely offers perfect conditions, does it?

The music will keep playing.

Children will still squeal with delight as they jump into the pool.

Someone will be talking loudly on the next sun-bed.

Your phone will still have notifications waiting.

Life will continue asking for your attention.

Even here, on holiday, I’m still aware of my mum. I’m still keeping an eye on Isabella. I’m still thinking about home from time to time.

I’m still on holiday.

And I’m also still living my life.

So perhaps quietening the noise isn’t about changing what’s happening around us.

It’s about changing how we meet it.

There is something beautiful about accepting the noise rather than resisting it.

The laughter.

The chatter.

The splashes.

The music.

They’re all signs of people living.

I don’t need to resist them or wish they were different. I can simply notice them. Smile at them and then gently return.

Back to my breath.

Back to the warmth of the sun.

Back to the turquoise sea stretching out before me with the amazing boats on it

Back to this moment.

Not because everything has become quiet……but because I’ve come back to centre.

Recently, I’ve been talking about putting it down.

Not because life disappears, but because we don’t have to carry everything, all of the time.

We can put down the worry.

Put down the responsibility for just a moment.

Put down the expectation that we must constantly be thinking, fixing, planning or preparing.

Even if it’s only for a few breaths.

The truth is, we can’t always quieten the world around us.

Life will always have its soundtrack.

Children laughing.

Music playing.

Phones ringing.

Lists waiting.

Thoughts circling.

The invitation isn’t to wait until everything becomes quiet; it’s to learn how to return to yourself within the noise.

Returning isn’t something we do once. It’s something we do dozens of times a day.

Every time we notice we’ve wandered into worry…Every time we find ourselves replaying the past or rehearsing the future…

We simply come back.

When you notice you’ve become caught up in everything around you, try this.

• Pause- not for an hour, not even for ten minutes. Just for one conscious breath

• Feel your feet - notice the support beneath you

• Take a slow breath in…and an even slower breath out

• Allow your shoulders to soften

• Then ask yourself, gently,

  “What am I carrying right now that I don’t need to carry in this moment?”

  Perhaps it’s tomorrow.

  Perhaps it’s someone else’s expectations.

  Perhaps it’s worry.

  Perhaps it’s the endless mental to-do list.

You don’t have to throw it away.

You don’t have to solve it.

Simply…

put it down.

• Even if only for a minute; notice what changes

• Return to your breath

• Return to your body

• Return to this moment

• Again and again

Because returning isn’t something we master once; returning is the practice.

As I’ve been sitting here watching the sea, listening to the laughter, the conversations and the music, I’ve realised something.

Life isn’t asking us to escape it. It’s asking us to meet it differently.

As I sat here today, I realised that this is exactly why I felt called to create my new online gathering…

It’s OK to Put It Down

This blog is the beginning of a conversation we’ll continue together.

It’s an evening to pause.

To gently explore what you’ve been carrying.

To discover simple practices that help you return to yourself when life feels noisy, demanding or overwhelming.

Not by escaping your life…but by reconnecting with yourself within it.

Because the noise may never completely disappear, but you can learn to hear something deeper.

The quiet voice within that has been there all along.

As I look out across the sea, the music is still playing.

Children are still laughing.

Conversations continue around me.

Another ball splashes into the pool and child jumps into the busy pool.

Nothing around me has changed, but something within me has.

I’ve stopped waiting for the world to become quiet……and remembered how to come home to myself.

Maybe that’s the invitation for all of us.

Not to wait for life to become quieter, but to keep returning to the quiet that already lives within us.

Today, whatever you’re carrying, may you remember that you don’t have to hold it all at once.

• Take one breath

• Come back to centre

• Put it down

• And simply be

If these words resonated with you, I’d love to welcome you to It’s OK to Put It Down.

Together we’ll explore how to gently release what no longer needs to be carried, return to yourself and discover the quiet that has been within you all along.

You can find all the details and book your place using the link below.

https://www.deeperawareness.co.uk/development-workshops/2026/9/16/its-ok-to-put-it-down