The Lost Art of Stillness in a Hectic World

Title: The Lost Art of Stillness in a Hectic World

Reference : 📖 [The Art of Stillness by Pico Iyer 

In a world obsessed with hustle, we’ve forgotten how to be still. Not just physically—but mentally, emotionally, spiritually. Silence now feels like a void we rush to fill with noise: a podcast, a playlist, a scrolling session on Instagram.

 We call it productivity, but often, it’s just distraction.
I only started noticing this when I read Pico Iyer’s quietly brilliant book .

The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere. In it, Iyer—a travel writer—makes the case that some of the most meaningful journeys happen not through miles but through moments.

 He writes:
> “Going nowhere... isn’t about turning your back on the world; it’s about stepping away now and then so that you can see the world more clearly and love it more deeply.

>  Pico Iyer, The Art of Stillness

That line hit me like a small truth bomb. I’d been doing the opposite—cramming my days with back-to-back meetings, my nights with media. I thought that meant I was engaged. But I was just distracted.

I started experimenting with stillness—ten minutes in the morning with no phone, no coffee, just breathing. No agenda. At first, I felt stupid. But then... something shifted. I started noticing small things again.

 The weight of sunlight on my arms. The way my breath softened my anxiety. It wasn’t magic. But it felt like remembering something ancient and necessary.

Stillness won’t fix your life. But it might remind you that you're already alive.
If you're curious, I recommend Iyer’s book. It’s small—less than 100 pages—but dense with insight.