Get Satisfaction From Silence
Silence.
Some of us welcome it. For others, the thought of sitting in silence is enough to make their skin crawl.
We live in a noise-filled world, and for some, the constant background clatter helps us tune out any unwanted thoughts that may fill our minds.
Silence offers opportunities for self-reflection and daydreaming, which activates multiple parts of the brain. It gives us time to turn down the inner noise and increase awareness of what matters most. And it cultivates mindfulness — recognition and appreciation of the present moment.
Silence also has physical benefits.
When we’re frazzled, our fight-or-flight response is on overload causing a host of problems, but we can use calm, quiet moments to tap into a different part of the nervous system that helps shut down our bodies’ physical response to stress.
The benefits of silence are amazing for the mind, body and even the soul, being still and silent can help you:
Increase self-awareness
Lower your blood pressure
Decrease your heart rate
Steady your breathing
Reduce muscle tension
Increase focus and cognition
More profound thoughts
Stronger relationships
Increased creativity
Improved communication skills
Stimulates brain cells
Deepen your spiritual connection
Increase mindfulness
Relieves stress
Today’s Practice - Sitting in Silence
Today’s practice is so simple and yet so many of us struggle with it, myself included. Add little ones into the mix and it can seem almost impossible to simply sit in silence. The practice today is to sit in silence in whatever way available to you. Whether it’s 1 minute of silence once the kids are in bed, or 30 minutes indulging in silence in a nice hot bath, it all counts.
Here are some silent practice ideas you could try:
Sitting to meditate in silence with no guided meditation or music
Enjoying your morning coffee without a device or magazine.
Looking out the window the next time you’re a passenger in the car instead of picking up your phone.
Walking by yourself and listening to the natural noises around you instead of music.
Give this inner silence meditation video a go and cultivate ‘antar mouna’, silence in the mind
I’d love to know in the Whatsapp group if you manage to carve out some time for silence and how you are going to incorporate that silence into your day. I’m away by myself (baby-free eek!) in Edinburgh for the weekend speaking on a panel at a wellness festival about psychedelics and positive psychology tomorrow, so I am going to spend this evening savouring silence and finally having a good night’s sleep!
