Silence is Golden
"Like an ability or a muscle, hearing your inner wisdom is strengthened by doing it." - Robbie Gass
Why are we so afraid of silence? Why do we drown out our inner wisdom?
Did you know that "noise torture" or "sound torture" is a psychological warfare method often used to break prisoners' will via loud music or white noise? Its practical use means that brain and body functions start to slide, train of thought slows down, and a person's will is broken.
So why are we torturing ourselves? Why are so many afraid to sit in silence, to hear themselves, and to gain that inner wisdom?
Noise is dominant in our lives today. Social media and technology like Alexa often mean that we are in a 24/7 news cycle (and we all know that negativity is the core of news). With this, we may never take a quiet moment. This may be partly why mental health challenges have risen over the years.
Many people wake up in the morning and, despite scientific evidence of how bad it is for you, check their mobile phone first thing. Or they turn on the news or ask Alexa to play it while they make their morning coffee. They then go to work and spend countless hours in meetings: more noise. On the drive home, instead of enjoying this meditative opportunity, they call anyone and everyone to keep their brain occupied. Finally, at the end of the day, they turn on the evening news (more negativity) and then watch some mindless show they didn't even know they wanted to see while playing on their phones and watching Insta reels or TikTok videos. So not only are we encompassed by noise, we allow multiple sources of it to bombard us at once.
Noise is an avoidance mechanism. If we keep ourselves distracted and busy listening to everyone else, we don't hear our own thoughts. And many people don't want to. Perhaps they're afraid of what they'll hear.
I encourage you to take time off from the noise. Sit with yourself. If you're unable to do so, ask yourself why? What is it that's making you so uncomfortable? Discovery of and trust in your inner wisdom will guide you to what you genuinely need - what will make your soul happy. Not what the world tells you to pay attention to or wants you to need. Tips for doing so:
Keep the morning quiet if possible. If you're a parent, send the kids off to school and take 20 minutes to sit quietly and think about how you’d like your day to go. Write down some goals - they can cover wants and requirements. If you can’t take this time in the morning, try it in the evening before bed.
Take a walk each day. Even if for 10/15 minutes. Outside, preferably.
Meditate. I'm not great at this, so I use the Calm app, which provides guided meditations. I also do a very brief (sometimes just two minutes!) meditation with a group each week. It does not have to require a lot of time - even a few minutes can help you find balance and focus.
Write. You don't have to be good at it, but simply keeping a journal of your thoughts can help you to navigate stress and anxiety and recognize the triggers of both strife AND delight. You choose which to focus on the most (hint: a happiness and positivity mindset spills over into your life!)
Silence the Notifications. People are always surprised at how many red notifications I have on my phone. I refuse to be a slave to it, so it doesn’t bother me. But if those numbers bother you, turn off notifications or, at the very least, create silent hours. I have my phone set on “Do not disturb” from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., with an exception list of who can get through. Give yourself a breather with this simple technique to help you step away from the external noise.
Find time for solitude. You’re not really experiencing “quiet” if you’re entertaining others. Solitude allows us to let go and allow our minds to think freely without concern for the caretaking of others. This does not make you selfish but instead allows you to reenergize for better caretaking. When we are strong, we can help others.
Yours in quiet,
C
