Inside: I recently did a "distraction fast". And after it was all over, I thought of you - because maybe you need one, too. Here is what I learned:

*Part 2 and Part 3

My thoughts are muddled this morning. Every sound is amplified. Nothing I planned to do by now is done, and in every corner of the morning my boys are picking fights with each other. 

So as I walk to the shower, already feeling the strain of all the noise, I do what I’ve trained myself to do - I turn on a podcast. A little retreat during my morning where I can spend 10 minutes in the shower and insert myself into someone else’s conversation.

But if I really pay attention (shhhhhh) I notice that instead of excitement for the retreat, I feel dread. My mind is already tired. What I need is quiet.

Still my finger taps the screen and the conversation begins. 

__

This past December I did something I’ve never done.

I fasted from noise. 

Not in a complete, total elimination of noise, kind of way - I didn’t go on a 30-day silent retreat or book myself a hotel.

I did it right in the middle of my normal routines, doing the same normal things I do all the time. I just did them differently. I didn’t listen to podcasts while I was in the shower, or turn on YouTube while I cooked or folded clothes. And I didn’t have information swirling around my brain from the types of non-fiction books I normally love to devour.

And you know what I found out: I was a little bit addicted to noise. 

No. Strike that.

It wasn’t noise that I was addicted to - it was distraction.

Here is what that looked like:

• When I felt irritated at how the day was going with the boys I’d scurry to my room and take  5 minutes to fold clothes while listening to a podcast - just a few minutes to reset and take a break from reality. 
• I would turn the last page of a nonfiction book and dive head first into the next one. No time to sit with what I’d read, think about what I wanted to do about it, and then actually make changes based on what I’d learned!
• I would get to the end of the day, grab my phone, turn on a YouTube video and decompress for a bit. Not that decompressing is bad, but I think there are better ways 🙂

But now all of that was taken away from me. 

• I didn’t have as many voices floating around in my head. 
• I didn’t have as much information flowing and swirling. 
• I didn’t have a false sense of rest once the day was done. 

And here is what I learned: 

I liked it better that way.

The month of fasting from “noise” showed me how much I was losing by keeping myself constantly distracted.

December is gone but I have not resumed my old podcast habits. I ended up not just needing a break from the noise, but enjoying it.

So why do I write a whole blog post about this? Actually this has turned into a series of blog posts because there was too much to say in just one! 

I write this because I think it’s possible that you could be in need of a “distraction fast”, too. And with Lent coming up, it’s not a bad time to start thinking about it.

6 things I learn from my “distraction fast”

Taking a month away from podcasts, non-fiction books, and YouTube taught me a few things:

1. Too much noise makes me more irritable

Before this fast, I was so quick to fill any sliver of quiet with noise - a podcast while I was in the kitchen making supper, in the bedroom folding clothes, on a walk by myself… 

Which was lovely while it lasted. But we all know in a house with little kids, the silence doesn’t last long. Inevitably, my boys would run in with something to say or a request to make or an accusation against their brother…my patience would be so short. 

Sometimes I could fake it and they wouldn't even notice - but even then it was an exhausting battle to fight against myself.

Once I had that noise taken away, I didn’t mind them running in while I was doing some household tasks. I was more ready to invite them into the chore at hand. I enjoyed their interruptions far more often than I was irritated at them.

2. The noise was keeping me from prayer

This was one of the reasons I wanted to do this fast - I wanted to spend more of my day noticing and enjoying the presence of God. Less noise means more quiet, and every time there was quiet I was reminded of what I was doing.

Then I could fill the quiet with prayers.

The quiet brought my attention back to Him. I learned to talk to Him in a different way throughout the day - in a more peaceful and conversational way.

3. The distraction was keeping me from realizing my true need - time with Jesus

It wasn’t the noise I was addicted to - it was the distraction.

That became so evident to me when I found myself using scraps of time to scroll mindlessly through the news - and I don’t read the news!! But without a podcast or video or some other source of noise to turn to when I was feeling frustrated with my kids, with the house, or just with motherhood in general, the news was the only place to go.

After a few days I deleted the news widget on my phone. 

You know what became so apparent? The distractions I tended to turn to were keeping me from what I really needed - the power of the Holy Spirit. I needed to go to Him, not a podcast or YouTube video. I won’t get any power from those places, anyway. 

But with the Holy Spirit, I have access to same power Jesus did. 

4. More distractions were actually making me less happy

Without podcasts or YouTube to go to, I turned peppy music on more and danced while I cooked. I sang louder in the shower instead of listening to a podcast. I fell in love with fiction and the stories I was reading. 

I’d go about mundane, boring tasks in the quiet. And I felt more peaceful. More in tune with what was going on in my heart and more (I hope) in tune with what God was teaching me.

5. The noise had been stifling my emotions

I was driving home from a grocery trip one day, by myself, and the car was silent. Normally I would be giddy with the thought of a 10 minute drive alone. I could listen to a podcast totally uninterrupted!

But today the car was still. And suddenly, out of nowhere, I started sobbing.

It wasn't just one thing in particular, it was several. But the point is that if I hadn’t been driving in the quiet, I don’t think I would have been in tune with what was going on in my heart. And I wouldn’t have been able to address it. 

The noise can sometimes keep us from facing things that need to be addressed. Isn’t that why we so often welcome the noise? We don’t always want to be confronted. But we need to be! And we have to provide the time and space for that to happen.

6. I discovered Francine Rivers

Ha! Sounds silly, but it’s true.

I’ve always assumed Christian fiction would be oh-so cringeworthy. So I’ve stayed away. But after several people recommended her, I decided to give it a try - it was a month for doing new things, right?

I stand here today and confess that I was wrong 🙂  I’ve been challenged and encouraged and inspired by the stories she has written in ways I probably wouldn’t have been otherwise. 

You don’t know unless you try it, right?!

As it turned out, noise, information, and entertainment were taking away more than they were providing. 

Yes, in the moment they were all providing what I felt I needed - some distraction from my current circumstances. But what I discovered was this: there is more joy in the natural noises of my household than in the immediate stimulation of a podcast or audiobook or YouTube video. 

So, are you ready to go on a “distraction fast?” 

Don't dive in too quickly - next week I’ll be back with a post detailing the nitty gritty of what the month looked like. These realizations didn’t come easily or right away. It was a process.

(have you ever done Whole30? It wasn't quite like that, but not too far off!)

My hope is that by sharing the process and stages I went through, you'll be better prepared for your distraction fast (because I’ve convinced you it’s worth it, right?). 

I’ll see you then!

Rooting for you,