I believe that every step we take serves a purpose, guiding us through our highs and lows. But what happens when those steps falter and the rhythm behind them weakens?
Imagine a world where silence becomes the loudest sound. This profound silence became my reality for over two years, marking a break from my own voice during an unprecedented global pandemic—a situation many of us unexpectedly shared.
During this time, I often felt like an outsider in my own life, watching precious moments slip away like sand through my fingers. This wasn’t a chosen silence; it represented a gradual erosion of my voice, overwhelmed by a cacophony of fear, doubt, and isolation.
Reclaiming my voice was akin to waking a dormant muscle. Initially, writing for my blog, Wiley’s Walk, felt alien and frustrating. Each hesitant word was quickly deleted, and many writing sessions ended with my computer shut down in defeat.
However, recently even though the sparks were weak and unfamiliar, they reminded me that I still held the power to reshape my narrative. The pandemic acted both as a disruptor and a forge, pushing me and countless others to confront our deepest fears. It also provided an opportunity for significant reflection and reassessment of our priorities and values. Echoing this, Dr. Thuy-vy Nguyen’s research (2019) underscores how solitude can profoundly enhance personal growth and self-awareness.
Navigating this challenging terrain, I came to realize that my voice had never truly disappeared; it was merely waiting for the right moment to reemerge. Each word I wrote and every idea I expressed marked a liberating resurgence of my identity in a world that often tries to mute our voices. Similarly, every silence tells a story—a narrative waiting to unfold.
My return to writing was fraught with doubt but also filled with moments of courage, resilience, and hope. If you find yourself lost in silence, remember: your voice isn’t gone; it’s just waiting for you to rediscover it. When you do, embrace it wholeheartedly.
References:
Bonanno, G. A. (2004). Loss, Trauma, and Human Resilience: Have We Underestimated the Human Capacity to Thrive After Extremely Aversive Events? American Psychologist, 59(1), 20–28.
Johnson, J., Gooding, P., Wood, A. M., & Tarrier, N. (2017). Resilience as positive coping appraisals: Testing the schematic appraisals model of suicide (SAMS). Behaviour Research and Therapy, 87, 99–108.
Nguyen, T.-v., & Ryan, R. M. (2019). The wise use of solitude: An experiential sampling analysis of motivations for solitude. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 45(5), 869–882.