Be Quiet

Our world is getting louder. Chattering. Music. Traffic. War. Podcasts. News. Netflix. Meetings. Classes. Construction.

Have you ever gone into a forest, the desert, a quiet beach, the mountains, or in the countryside and noticed how your mind seems to slow down? How your mind seems to clear a bit and you start to relax?  That’s what generally happens when we spend time in a restorative, lower sensory environment. The complete absence of sound is not as important as creating some distance from constantly stimulating sounds and input.

How often do you intentionally remove yourself from the incessant sounds of everyday life? Research by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that even sounds that we are not conscious of can stimulate a stress response and have a negative impact on our well-being. Exposure to certain noises over time can cause sleep problems, lead to tinnitus, raise blood pressure, and contribute to increased stress and anxiety. Excessive noise levels are even linked to cardiovascular disease. The WHO calls noise pollution a “modern plague” and cautions that the daily noise we experience is literally taking years off of our lives.

The benefits of experiencing quiet time are compelling. Australian researchers determined that just two hours of time away from the common sounds of traffic, voices, music, machines, and other daily noises led to the production of cells in the brain that fight depression. And a mere two minutes of silence was shown to drop blood pressure and heart rates. Surprisingly, silence was shown to be a more effective relaxation tool than listening to Mozart! Other benefits of silence include:

• Improved focus and clarity
• Reduction of racing thoughts
• Increased creativity
• Better concentration
• Heightened self-awareness
• Better sleep
• Enhanced decision-making
• Lessened stress and anxiety
• More mindfulness

Even knowing the benefits of silence, retreating from our everyday sounds and activities seems like a luxury. So, how do we find ways to escape the noise and chatter and cultivate peace and calm? And, for people who find comfort in an active and noisy world, how can they learn to embrace silence in order to experience the benefits?

 Here are some suggestions:

• Acknowledge that silence may feel uncomfortable to you. Some people use noise and activity to escape their own thoughts and emotions. If that is you, consider engaging a coach who can help you slowly integrate moments of silence into your life. Or talk to a therapist or other mental health specialist to work through past trauma or other experiences that my make silence fearful for you.
• Try starting small with walks in nature. Even if you have your phone for safety or convenience, consider keeping your earbuds out and focus on the sounds and sights of nature as you walk.
• Create small transitional pauses in your day. Between meetings or tasks, silence your phone for 5 minutes and sit comfortably. Close your eyes or lower your gaze if that is comfortable for you. Bring your awareness to your breath and follow the rhythm of your breath for a few minutes. If it feels challenging to focus on your breath, try counting your breaths with each exhalation being one round.
• Wake up in time to enjoy a silent routine before you have to engage with other people. Try setting an intention to wake up early before you go to bed the night before instead of setting an alarm. (You might be surprised by the power of intention!) Your routine may be to quietly fix a cup of tea or coffee and drinking it as you look at a window. Or doing some gentle yoga or stretching in a quiet space. Maybe your routine is to light a candle and silently pray or meditate.
• Create an evening routine that includes an hour of silence before going to bed. Silence your phone, take a bath, meditate, journal.
• Eat a meal in silence and without any screens.
• Commute to work in silence instead of listening to music or a podcast, talking on the phone, or working.
• For more extended periods of silence try:
  • entering into silence at the same time every day (or on a regular basis)
  • planning ahead for a four-to-eight-hour digital detox
  • signing up for a silent retreat

As you cultivate periods of silence in your life try journaling about your experience. You might write words of gratitude, pose questions that you are seeking answers to, write poetry or prayers, or try intuitive writing where you allow your thoughts to pour out of you instinctively.

 Above all, be gentle and compassionate with yourself. If your silence experience doesn’t go as planned, acknowledge your effort and try again some other time. Learn from each experience. Remember, just 2 minutes of quiet can yield great benefits.