Get Quiet in Midlife: Walking the Labyrinth to Calm Your Nervous System and Reclaim Your Purpose
Why “Getting Quiet” Is the Most Powerful Midlife Shift
What if the key to thriving in midlife isn’t doing more, hustling harder, or trying to “fix” yourself—but learning to pause? In this week’s episode of Women Mastering Midlife, I talk with Elaine Glass, transformational speaker, spiritual teacher, and author of Get Quiet. Her work invites us to step out of the noise, regulate our nervous systems, and listen to the inner voice that actually knows what we need.
The Midlife Crossroads: Stress, Shifts, and the Search for Clarity
If you’re in your 40s or 50s, you know the swirl: changing hormones, kids launching, career pivots, caregiving for parents, and an endless to-do list. Even when life looks “fine,” the nervous system tells the truth—through anxiety, poor sleep, inflammation, and that feeling of being overwhelmed. As Elaine puts it, our nervous system either creates health or disease. “Get quiet” isn’t a luxury; it’s medicine.
Walking the Labyrinth: A Tool for Midlife Peace
Elaine found her way back to herself through an ancient practice: the labyrinth. It’s not a maze. There’s one path in and one path out—a slow, circular walking meditation that naturally downshifts the body and mind. In that stillness, Elaine began to hear clear, simple inner guidance and noticed the kind of synchronicities that show up when you’re finally paying attention.
Why it works: the repetitive, gentle movement soothes the nervous system, invites focus, and creates space for the “soul’s voice” to come through.
Beyond “Woo-Woo”: Making the Unseen Seen
If the idea of meditation or labyrinths feels a little out there, consider this reframing: getting quiet is about perceiving what you typically rush past—your feelings, patterns, and values. That’s not magical thinking; it’s nervous system science. When we slow down, we can sense what actually restores us (and what doesn’t).
The Body Map in Get Quiet: Hips, Heart, Head (and More)
One thing I love about Get Quiet is its body-based structure. Each chapter centers on a specific region (like hips, heart, head), pairing reflection with a short guided practice.
Hips: Where we store unprocessed emotions.
Head: Where overthinking and rumination live.
Heart: Where connection, truth, and compassion begin.
These focused practices help you release stress in layers—so by the time you’ve moved through the whole book, you’ve shifted your entire energetic “set point.”
Parenting, Modeling Calm, and the Empty-Nest Transition
Elaine wrote this book while navigating divorce and raising two young kids. Her goal: become the healthiest, most grounded version of herself for them. That message hits home whether your kids are little or leaving for college: our energy sets the tone. When we regulate, the whole house regulates. In seasons of transition (new schools, dorm drop-offs, career changes), modeling calm is the greatest gift we can give.
Boundaries that Stick: What You Value and How You Love Yourself
Struggling to hold boundaries? Start with values. What matters most right now—inner peace, health, time with your people? Boundaries are simply those values in action. And the staying power comes from self-love. When you genuinely believe you’re worthy of peace, you stop apologizing for protecting it.
Nervous System First: Why Quiet Is a Health Strategy
From a clinical perspective, chronic stress dysregulates sleep, hormones, appetite, and mood. From a lived perspective, it’s what makes you snappy with your family and disconnected from your own needs. “Getting quiet” is not about opting out of life; it’s how you re-enter it regulated. Think of it as a foundational health practice, just like protein, strength training, and walking.
Practical Ways to “Get Quiet” This Week
Try a walking meditation. No labyrinth? Use a quiet park path. One foot, then the next, slow and steady.
Create a 10-minute daily quiet window. No phone, no tasks—just noticing breath and body.
Pick one body area to work with. Hips for emotion, head for thought spirals, heart for connection.
Value check. List your top three values for this season; write one simple boundary that protects each.
Retreat when you can. Changing your environment accelerates nervous system reset (even a half-day “home retreat” helps).
My Takeaway from Get Quiet
When I finished the book, nothing external changed—but the way I held it all did. I felt lighter, clearer, and more resourced. Most importantly, I dropped the guilt about feeling peaceful. That alone created room for better sleep, steadier energy, and kinder conversations at home.
Listen to the Full Conversation with Elaine Glass
Want the full story, the nuances of her labyrinth practice, and the meditations she loves most?
