Are you battling anxiety or depression? Does waking up each day feel like a struggle? If so, you could be having undigested emotions weighing you down. Huh? See, trauma, abuse, or a sudden illness can make us have unpleasant emotions leading to soul loss. Unless you start your healing process, these emotions remain hidden in your subconscious, causing havoc to your life for years to come. Indeed, we can never wish away our unpleasant feelings. But we can deal with them through the art of deep listening.
What Is Deep Listening?
Deep listening is a form of mindful meditation whereby you become fully present to your inner self or those around you. Simply put, it is a spiritual practice of listening to connect. Here, you engage in quiet moments that help you awaken your buried emotions.
Similarly, you nurture a connection with anyone talking to you at that moment, sharing your goals, dreams, fears, and concerns. Hence, it entails listening to yourself or others to form a connection.
Active Listening vs. Deep Listening
Active listening refers to you choosing to be fully present in a conversation. It forms the basis of deep listening because you focus on what the other person is saying as you become an active listener. Deep listeners go a step further to connect to those non-verbal communications from the other person. More so, deep listening includes listening to our emotions to connect to them.
Why Do We Need to Practice Deep Listening?
Listening with intention helps you understand your surrounding and the people closest to you. In turn, you learn how to best respond to your emotions and those of others. This understanding is necessary when undertaking your soul loss healing process. Below are more benefits of deep listening:
#1: Develop Resistance Against Surrounding Distractions
We live in a digital age where smartphones, computers, and other smart gadgets distract us all day. These technologies make it almost impossible to maintain eye contact when talking to someone else. Likewise, they eat into our self-care time, robbing us of a chance to connect to our inner feelings. Deep listening encourages us to maintain undivided attention to our inner self or those near us.
#2: Resist the Temptation to Respond Without Deep Thought
One of the barriers to effective communication is selective listening. Here, we choose what we want to hear, then formulate responses that we think are suitable. A biased listener is always quick to offer solutions without taking into account the other person’s feelings. Likewise, if we never take time to listen to our inner self, we may judge ourselves based on the stigma surrounding our conditions.
#3: Facilitates Soul Loss Healing Process
Have you been diagnosed with a mental illness? Do you feel like you are going crazy because that is what society brands you? If so, you may find yourself hiding away from friends and family, fearing being caught off guard by their out-of-control emotions.
However, did you know that a bit of deep listening practice can unearth the unresolved emotions behind mental illness?
A person who understands the root cause of their mental conditions can practice self-care and have self-compassion for healthy living because shadow emotions are never permanent. Mindful meditation allows you to change your emotional triggers, hence, facilitate the soul loss healing process.
Deep Listening Must Be Intentional
Now, anyone can practice deep listening at any time or place. However, did you know that not everyone can listen without bias or aiming to be a problem solver? Yes, deep listening is not easy. It takes time and practice to develop the skills.
The Techniques
Now that we have an idea of what deep listening is all about, here are some top deep listening techniques you can start practicing today:
#1: Heart-Gut Centering
Are you making a life-changing decision? Find a quiet place at home or outdoors. Set up your mat or pillows to sit comfortably. Place one hand on your stomach and the other against your chest. Concentrate on listening to your inner voice. What do you hear?
The head, heart, and gut are the centers of our decision-making. The head is our rational brain, the heart is the emotional brain, and the gut is the intuitive brain. There are lots of instances where we follow our gut feelings or heart feelings. These are the times where logical thinking using our brain may not be adequate in assessing emotions.
Listening to your heart and gut allows you to be a rational thinker who weighs your feelings and emotions. In turn, you avoid cognitive dissonance, a state of inner conflict that can lead to anxiety and depression.
#2: Listening to the Surrounding Voices
When was the last time you were still and listened to voices all around you? It may be the whistling trees in your backyard, a shaky door, a ticking clock, or the sound of your breathing. Whatever you get to hear, allowing yourself to connect to your surrounding gets you into a mindful state. This awareness state refreshes your mind, expands your thought process, and renews your wisdom and intelligence.
#3: Journal Your Thoughts
Are you feeling lonely, depressed, or in a crisis? Put what you are feeling in writing. Conscious writing is an excellent way to practice deep listening. You use pen and paper as an avenue for your creative energy and ideas to flow. Doing so gives you mental clarity, regaining a sense of sanity when overwhelmed with emotions.
Here are some tips to get you started:
- Use a pen and paper instead of your smartphone or notebook. Journaling your thought this way is real and tangible.
- Write it as it is, immediately the thought pops in your head. Do not overthink.
- Maintain a dream journal. Capture what you remember from your dreams, then reflect on it.
- Grammatical errors are allowed. What matters is getting your thoughts on paper.
- Read aloud what you have written. It will give you a chance to hear your thoughts and voice your unspoken pain and trauma.
Conclusion
Deep listening is necessary if you want to develop mindful thinking and grow your emotional intelligence. These two aspects ensure you stay in tune with your inner self and be more susceptible to non-verbal communications from others. That way, you live in the present, embrace your uniqueness, and cut yourself some slack, especially when undergoing a challenging emotional experience.