Turning Off the Wind Tunnel: Finding Peace Through the Power of Stillness
Turning Off the Wind Tunnel: The Power of Stillness
We’ve all been there: your mind is racing, your to-do list is screaming, and you feel like you’re sprinting just to stay in place. In the video above, Jim Heaney, author of Choosing Presence, dives into Chapter 3 of his book to discuss the one thing we often resist most, yet need desperately: Stillness.
As Jim explains, stillness isn't just a "nice to have" spiritual luxury; it is the fundamental gateway to Spirit and the only way to reclaim our lives from the "wind tunnel" of our own making.
The 48,000-Thought Problem
Imagine standing in a wind tunnel filled with 48,000 small pieces of paper whipping around you so fast you can’t even read them. Now, imagine that 80% of those papers have negative, hurtful, or demeaning messages written on them.
This isn't just a metaphor; it's a statistical reality. Research suggests the average person has up to 60,000 thoughts a day, and for many, 48,000 of those are negative. This "inner chaos" is what generates our stress, anxiety, and fear. We often feel powerless against this whirlwind, but Jim reminds us that we have a choice: we can stay in the chaos, or we can flip the switch and bring in stillness.
Stillness vs. Silence
It is helpful to distinguish between two concepts we often lump together:
Silence is the absence of external sound—turning off the TV or stepping away from social media.
Stillness is about heightened awareness and intention.
You can be in a silent room and still have a "wind tunnel" raging in your head. True stillness happens when we recognize that the "voice in our head" isn't actually us. We are the awareness behind the voice. When we enter that space of awareness, the "screen of our ego" is lifted, and we finally see reality without distortion.
Why We Resist the Quiet
If stillness is so powerful, why do we run from it? Jim identifies a few major hurdles:
The "Go-Go-Go" Culture: In the West, we equate busyness with importance. We think if we aren't being "productive," we aren't valuable.
Fear of God: Many of us avoid stillness because we’re afraid of being "alone with someone we don’t like"—ourselves—or we fear God is disappointed in us.
The Ego’s Job: Our minds like having a "job" to do—talking, thinking, and obsessing. Stillness feels like a threat to the ego because it stops the compulsive internal dialogue.
But as Jim points out, God’s command in Psalm 46:10—"Be still and know that I am God"—isn't a suggestion; it’s a command. It is only through this stillness that we find the "permanent cure" for our inner pain.
The Practice: Three Breaths to Peace
You don't need to move to a monastery to find stillness. It is a practice of "inner-conditioning" that happens throughout the day. Jim suggests a simple but profound starting point: Take three conscious breaths in a row.
This small act resets your system and alerts you when your mind is overstimulated. It brings you back to "real life now," where your repetitive, anxiety-producing thoughts no longer have power over you.
Book Club Discussion Questions: Choosing Presence – Chapter 3
To help your group explore the themes of "Stillness," use these questions to guide your conversation:
The Wind Tunnel: Jim uses the metaphor of 48,000 negative thoughts as pieces of paper in a wind tunnel. Does your "inner environment" ever feel like this? How does that mental noise affect your physical energy?
Command vs. Suggestion: The book notes that "Be still and know that I am God" is a command, not a suggestion. Why do you think stillness is considered a "command" for spiritual health?
The Fear of Stillness: Richard Rohr suggests we avoid meditation because we don't like being "alone with someone we don’t like". Do you ever find yourself staying "busy" to avoid being alone with your own thoughts or with God?
The "Paradise" We Miss: In the fable of the man at the gates of paradise, the angel tells him, "This is the world you lived in but never saw". How does a lack of stillness prevent us from seeing the beauty in our current, everyday lives?
The Three-Breath Reset: Try taking three conscious breaths together as a group. Afterward, ask yourselves the three check-in questions: Am I present now? How do I feel inside? Do I have a sense of peace within at some level? Did this simple act change the "temperature" of the room or your own internal state?
This article is based on the insights and teachings found in Chapter 3: “Stillness” from Choosing Presence by Jim Heaney. The themes of the "wind tunnel" of thoughts, the distinction between silence and stillness, the barriers to practice, and the three-breath technique are drawn directly from those sources.
