Silence.
Not a single sound.
Listen to your heartbeat.
And nothing else.
Have you ever experienced this? Or tried to experience this. It requires strength to switch off everything around you. And sit in silence for some time—no music, no internet, not a single source of sound.
This is the state of silence. This is the state where you cut down all means of communication – a state where you calm down the urge to check your phone. This is the state where you calm down your senses – a state where your mind stops overthinking.
Silence is Scary
Does this sound scary to you? I find it very scary. My racing mind does not like utter silence. I can hear my thoughts, and they persuade me to think about times when I did not feel good. However, this kind of silence is being increasingly practised by people all over the globe.
There’s a difference between loneliness and solitude. While the former has negative connotations, the latter connotes a higher being. There is silence in both loneliness and solitude. However, silence and solitude are something that people seek, but silence in loneliness is frightening.
The Appeal of Silence
People who live amid chaos find the idea of silence appealing. However, those who stay alone and have no company do not thrive in quietude. For them, silence is like a curse. Such people desire company and conversation to feel better.
During the pandemic, many people were isolated for some reason. This isolation helped them recover from the mayhem of everyday life. However, for other people, this silence resulted in depression and anxiety. Silence holds different meanings to different people.
Why was silence omnipresent?
Let’s rewind to the 80s. Mother Earth had not realised then that plastic would become a curse. She had not heard of the internet, nor had the human. The big bubble of population had yet to burst. It was quite easy to experience quietude and silence during those times.
People could easily hear the birds sing without visiting a sanctuary. The silence was not deafening during those days. It was a blessing that was taken for granted – a blessing that we have to work hard for. We visit hidden gems on Earth to experience silence.
The tendency to cut the Silence
We have forgotten how to stay quiet. There was a time when silence meant a pause between conversations. This silence needed to be understood and comprehended by the listener. But this very silence has become awkward. We try to reach out to our phones to combat such silence.
When the movie is complete, we switch to checking our phones. When we are bored of checking social media updates, we listen to some music. When the song is over, we talk to a person. When the conversation is over, we return to checking our phones.
Why practise Silence?
Our lives have become convenient, thanks to technology. When repetitive work is handled by technology, our mind has the leisure to overthink. We constantly think about a situation, and this results in chaos.
In the present times, our minds have become the centre of different thoughts, emotions, and feelings. We try to push our thoughts away by watching a movie, listening to music, or talking to someone. The one thing that we try to avoid is practising silence.
When we are quiet, away from all kinds of distractions, we realise the noise created by our brains. This noise can be very frightening initially. However, with practice, it calms down and gives you the experience of peace.
Choose Silence over Speech
Remaining silent is a little difficult, especially if you are one of those people who wish there were 48 hours in a day. However, practising silence is significant.
Like you take out time to sleep, you should take out some time to practice silence. Here are 4 practical ways that you can choose your right to remain silent (even if LAPD does not surround you)
#1 Avoid unnecessary speech – Do not speak for the sake of speaking. Such simple advice! But it is quite difficult to follow. A classic example of this is social media, a platform where people speak for the sake of posting something. Speak if you have something meaningful to say.
#2 Avoid continuous complaining – It is quite easy to complain and very difficult to appreciate others. On the contrary, it is easy to praise our efforts and achievements. Do we complain about ourselves? Do we complain that we didn’t make the bed despite being told several times? Speak to appreciate others.
#3 Avoid giving opinions – It is quite easy to advise how a celebrity should behave, or how a U.S. President should design the policies, or how a neighbour should not take up a job! However, we should refrain from giving our opinions on everything in this world. While we read about such people and might have watched them closely, nonetheless, we are not them. Hence, we should keep our opinions to ourselves.
#4 Avoid mindless music – Every place has its music. Listen to that music and try to absorb the place. Refrain from continuous background noise. There is no need to start the radio as soon as you sit in the car. Experience the insides of the car once you sit inside. Experience your home without any music, podcast, or movie playing, or you talking.
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10 Simple Steps to practice silence as meditation
- Schedule a regular and specific “silent time” every day.
- Switch off the phone, television, music, and any noise around you.
- Do not read books during this time.
- You can use this silent time to meditate or work that does not require you to speak or listen.
- You can take a walk in nature or do housekeeping.
- Become an active listener. Listen to the silence around you.
- Be mindful. Refrain from overthinking or planning.
- Take deep breaths while cutting the mental and physical noise.
- Break the silent time by uttering words of appreciation.
- Begin with a short period of silence and gradually increase it.
Constructive Silence
When you deliberately refrain from talking and instead choose to pause a conversation, it is referred to as a moment of constructive silence. This is done to improve communication and comprehension.
The silence here is positive rather than negative. Constructive silence helps you reflect while talking. People say that constructive silence allows them to deeply engage in conversation and remember the points discussed.
How to build constructive silence in everyday life
We are pressed for time. This is a bitter truth. The solution to the time crunch is to convey your message in the given limited time. However, while communicating our message, we forget to listen to what other has to say. We often forget to take a pause wherein both the speaker and listener reflect on the ideas exchanged.
Instead of just talking all the time, let’s learn to build constructive silence during conversations. Here are some easy, simple, and practical methods for building constructive silence in routine, busy lives.
- Practice silence before leaving the house. It can be anything between 15 minutes to 1 hour.
- Practice silence after returning home. You can decide the duration depending on the morning silent time.
- Avoid using electronic devices consciously. This will help reduce the mental noise.
- Avoid checking social media updates. This will save your brain from the myriad emotions it goes through in a single minute.
- While working, choose not to hum, sing, or talk to yourself. Avoid listening to music on a loop.
- Eat your meals in complete silence. Appreciate the efforts invested in cooking.
- Throughout the day, choose to listen more and talk less.
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How Practicing Silence will benefit you
Mindfulness – People who practice silence daily have observed that their concentration has improved. There are a hundred and twenty reasons to talk our hearts out, but there is only one reason to remain silent – mindfulness.
Increased Focus – When we choose to remain silent, we empower our brains to process information efficiently. People who work silently are more productive and easily meet deadlines.
Mental Stillness – A moment of silence, a mile of peace! If you learn to stay silent, you learn to calm your racing thoughts. You realise that there is no need to worry about things as the universe is taking care of them.
Saved Energy – You waste a lot of energy in talking and a lot more in talking about things that could have been avoided. Learning to stay silent saves you from spending your energy on unnecessary things.
Healthy Brain – When you stay silent for more than 2 hours, you allow your brain to grow new cells related to emotions (as per a study). While this requires further research, I am positive that we can take a chance and see the effects.
Enhanced Creativity – Long periods of silence are said to result in increased creativity. Artists take long, silent walks in nature to take inspiration and clear their heads of the clutter.
Good Sleep – Practising silent times during the day ensures a good night’s sleep. It helps relieve tension and stress that burdens the mind, making the person feel relaxed and happy.
Final Thoughts
It is easy to hear the noises but difficult to experience the sound. Mother Nature is brimming with sounds of different kinds. These sounds can only be heard when we calm our racing thoughts.
A few minutes of silence every day brings us closer to the environment, to Mother Nature, to the Universe, and most importantly, to ourselves. Observe quiet time and experience deep peace. Happy Quietude!
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