The loudest person in the room is the least confident. The quietest is the most grounded. But we always forget that. Honestly, how can we remember these truths if we’re living in a world that is so loud and distracting?
To concentrate and understand what YOU need (not what OTHERS need from you), silence is a must: no people, no tasks, no distractions. Just you and your inner voice.
How to do it? Let’s find out.
But first, here is what silence can teach you
First and foremost, silence helps you reconnect with your inner Self: your thoughts, emotions, needs, and wishes. Let’s say you’re parenting a child with ADHD and have to juggle a few more responsibilities at the same time. You’re constantly bombarded with notifications from work, friends, and family members. While at home, you can’t take a break as there is a TV noise keeping your child company and a pet going wild in the kitchen.
Sounds overwhelming, right? The truth is if you don’t make a quiet time for yourself, you risk getting burnt out and having a mental breakdown in the midst of this chaos. Meanwhile, silence is your mirror, which helps you notice when you’re overwhelmed, acknowledge your limits, and restore your emotional & physical energy.
And here are other amazing things that silence does for you:
- Offers a safe space to process uncomfortable emotions. So often we push our anger, grief, guilt, or fear away because we don’t have time or courage to process these complex emotions. Fortunately, when you practice silence (we’ll tell you how to do it later), you learn how to observe without judgement and build emotional resilience with time.
- Improves physical health. Scientific studies show that quiet environments reduce stress hormones and muscle tension, lower blood pressure and heart rate, and improve sleep quality.
- Helps you reconnect with nature. Nature is full of subtle, healing sounds, whether it’s the wind in trees, birdsong, or the rustling of leaves. When you step into a natural setting, your nervous system resets, and your attention shifts away from the mental chatter.
- Improve concentration. In silence, your mind keeps scanning for distractions and your attention span increases. One study even shows that silence practices promote the growth of new brain cells in the hippocampus, which is the center of learning and memory.
By the way, did you know there is such a thing as noise pollution?
Noise pollution is excessive, disruptive sound that interferes with our natural environment and has negative effects on our physical and mental health. It often comes from traffic, electronics, construction, or even neighbors.
The World Health Organization recommends a maximum of 55 decibels during the day and 40 decibels at night. For your information, 45 decibels equal a light library-level chatter. Well, you get the picture… 😏
6 daily practices for grounding and calm
At first, silence might feel uncomfortable, but that feeling is temporary. Why does it happen? Because you’re not used to it. And as with everything in life, learning to love silence will take time, consistency, and patience.
Here is where you can start.
- Take long walks in nature. The classic and most accessible. Ideally, walk without headphones to engage all your senses. If you’re a city dweller, finding a spot with a few or no people and happy chirping birds might be pretty impossible. In this case, you can turn on background calming instrumental music, soundscapes (rain, forest, ocean), and wear noise-canceling headphones.
- Opt for short evening walks. When the world slows down, streets are calmer. But please choose well-lit areas and avoid hours with higher crime rates. Meanwhile, if you’re an early riser, early morning walks work beautifully too, especially if you’ve got a pet.
- Meditate or practice yoga. If you’re not a fan of traditional yoga and can’t sit in full silence (or find traditional meditation boring), start with yoga nidra or yogic sleep that helps you restore energy and deeply relax your mind and body. During yoga nidra meditations, one usually has to lie on their back and follow the instructions of a yoga teacher. Our advice for beginners? Use apps like Insight Timer to access yoga nidra meditations with soundscapes.
- Listen to nature sounds or frequency-based noise while working. As you can see, silence doesn’t equal ‘total quiet.’ Sounds that help mask distractions, boost focus, and soothe your nervous system are a great equivalent to traditional silence.
- Choose a ‘silent’ hobby. Reading, drawing, gardening, knitting, journaling, and others. Quiet, repetitive activities support mindfulness and mental clarity and reduce anxiety overall.
As you can see, one can practice silence both at home and outside.
And if you’ve decided to practice silence at home, we advise you to create a safe space for thinking and self-reflection. Choose a cozy nook where you don’t usually work and add things that keep you grounded, such as a blanket, candle, or a potted plant.
Further, train your brain to associate the place with peace. The main rule here is “Don’t work there!” No screens, no emails, no productivity. The key is to use the space only for grounding activities.
Another tip is scheduling ‘time for silence’. A human brain loves predictability. You can set a recurring time (morning, lunch, before bed), and be consistent. Soon, your body and mind will begin to crave and anticipate these peaceful pauses.
Final thoughts
In the blur of constant action, silence feels strange at first, just like a language you’ve forgotten how to speak. But when you learn to sit with it, to truly hear it, you’ll realize — as techtimes.com points out — that your inner voice has been there all along. All it needed was for the noise to fade.
You’ve got it!