How I’m Processing War Through Silence & Speech
Updated: Mar 23
Written by Rasha AlShaar, Mind-Body Coach, PCC
Rasha AlShaar, PCC, is a Mind-Body Coach with an integrative approach to healing and self-development. By merging modalities that range from mindset and somatic tools, she's on a mission to facilitate full-body healing and head-to-toe awakenings to help people embody their authentic truth and innate power.
If anyone knows me, they know I’m big on communication, a Gemini, a manifesting generator, an introverted extrovert, and all those fancy labels that back this up as “fact”. What's also true, although less often honestly, is that at times I choose to take my time to speak. So, although quick-witted and outspoken, I too choose silence. Sometimes.
With all the turbulence in our sacred Arab lands right now, I experienced this more than ever. Not in the introverted extrovert sense, but in tasting the fullness of both silence and speech.
Even as I write this so-called article, it doesn't want to be written as such. Everything, all words, all of life itself, wants to be art now more than ever before. A poem. A song. A painting. A dance. Because there is no greater resistance than love, and there is no greater rebellion than art. And oh boy, do I love art.
The gravity of silence
In the loud sirens blazing from outside, in the trembling of our windows, I remained silent. Silent in those moments, long or short, depending on whether it’s a good or bad day. And despite the loudness and noise out there, I stayed quiet. Outwardly speechless still, yet loud in my mind with rage, confusion, and disgust. Letting this loudness be loud, as I welcomed it until silence returned internally. Until peace was back in the boundaries of my body. Until I returned to my sacred center, still, on this sacred, turbulent land.
The potency of speech
As peace returned within, so did the words without. I slowly came out from the darkness, as all in nature does. Like the roots of a plant doing its work beneath the surface unseen, I emerged easefully to be heard. Grounded, I spoke first within the walls I remained in, in the language of a fresh Muji pen meeting the ancient pages of my journal. Instant relief sinks deeper within, like the ink being swallowed by the thirsty pores of each page. Pages turning and turning, mind clearing and clearing, until my throat felt open and my voice felt ready to express out loud. At last.
The poem that broke my silence
’Words on the W-Word’
I was staring at a blank page
for days before deciding to write just that.
And just like that,
the page was no longer blank.
If we’ve learned anything recently,
it’s just that – how just like that,
so much can change.
I’ve kept quiet on the outside
because I’ve been loud on the inside,
hasn’t everything been?
loud. inside-out too.
And still,
no words feel worthy enough
to speak to the loudness of it all,
of all that has been for far too long.
Long before we heard with our own ears.
And when words feel small in scale
to the largeness of it all,
where does one even begin?
Look, I don’t even have sophisticated political commentary
to impress you with.
I don’t even have a “how to stay regulated” post designed pretty for you.
I just have big feelings
that fluctuate between confusion, rage, and inner peace.
I have hours of missing sleep,
which turned into too much time in bed.
I have my practices and some cuddles keeping me sane.
Most of the time.
I have gratitude for my family around me
and the roof over me, always.
I have an appreciation for this body,
I’ve been trying to keep moving,
as she still moves me.
I have delicious food made with love
to break my fast every day.
And I have God to speak to
every time the sun shifts its posture.
And I hope you do too.
– Rasha AlShaar
If you're looking for support in returning to your center, finding your voice through the noise, and staying grounded when the ground itself feels shaky, click here to book a free clarity call and explore my 6-month 1:1 mindset and somatic coaching program.
Read more from Rasha AlShaar
Rasha AlShaar, Mind-Body Coach, PCC
With over a decade of experience in healing practices and self-growth tools, Rasha AlShaar founded her coaching practice in 2020, shaping her integrative approach through ongoing personal growth and rigorous training, blending subconscious, emotional, somatic, behavioral, and energetic modalities to best serve her clients.
Rooted in her curiosity, driven by her commitment to service, and grounded in her PCC accreditation from the International Coaching Federation with 700+ hours of 1:1 coaching experience, Rasha is on a mission to help others on their transformative journeys as a Mind-Body Coach, guiding them to reconnect with their inherent wisdom and worth through insightful dialogue, embodied experience, and tangible action steps.
