Practicing Silence: How It Can Change Your Day

Written by Audrey Hayward

Wherever you are right now, there's a good chance that there’s a substantial amount of background noise. Whether that’s overhearing someone’s TikTok feed or Mac DeMarco playing in the cafe you’re sitting in…in the modern world, it’s hard to catch a moment of pure silence. Recently, when I have been able to sit in silence, it feels weirdly uncomfortable. Almost like there should be more noise. I tried to convince myself that it's just because I’m so used to background noise and constantly being stimulated, obviously it’s going to be uncomfortable. Then I started thinking about why. With no distraction, it’s just me and my thoughts. No EDM remix coming out every ten seconds from my phone speaker, no podcast as background noise on my laptop–just me. So I began to think, why am I uncomfortable? After that, I really had a breakthrough with reflection that I have not had in a while, truly being completely honest and real with myself. 

So to you I ask, when was the last time you sat completely alone, in silence, with no distractions around you? Try it right now, and then come back to this article (...if you can).

How did you feel? What did you notice? 

You may be similar to me, in that you notice your feelings first. Silence gives us the gift of being able to truly be self aware. We are forced to sit with our emotions and feelings and observe ourselves and thoughts without judgment. Being aware of our thoughts and feelings and dealing with them can help us be more resilient in the future when problems arise. On top of that, understanding our thoughts and feelings can help our personal relationships as well. We learn to be more mindful of our words, communicate better and actively listen to others (Cox).

Maybe you felt a sense of relief. Like a small weight had been lifted off you a little. Silence can help relieve stress and promote inner peace by lowering cortisol levels (yes, those things people on your FYP won’t stop talking about). The hormone cortisol impacts our mood, motivation, immune function, cardiovascular health, and metabolic health. By lowering our cortisol levels, our nervous system is able to calm, and our stress and anxiety decrease. Physically, our blood pressure goes down, and our blood circulation improves (Johnson). Personally, I know, when I’ve had a really stressful day the first thing I want to do is watch TikTok to ‘relax’. But actually, I’ve only been making it worse for myself. Instead, sitting in silence even for just a few moments would actually help me calm down, and allow my body a bit of rest. 

Your brain grew! Well, not actually. But you may have felt more productive after your moment of silence. You might’ve been able to be a little more creative with your work for the rest of the day, or you were able to follow a more challenging recipe for dinner. Daily moments of silence have been found to help stimulate brain growth. A 2013 animal study involving mice found that 2 hours of silence each day helped produce new hippocampus cells, the part of the brain that is in charge of the ability to learn, emotions, and memory (Bernardi). Silence allows space for new information to enter your brain, with daily silence giving your brain space to learn more each day. 

Overall, silence can help improve your mental, physical, creative, spiritual, and occupational wellness. It allows you to understand yourself and your thoughts, allows the brain space for you to be creative and learn more, provides you the reflection to be more mindful in your own personal relationships and life, and helps you and your body relax. 

This is all great, but I know most of us don’t have the time to just sit in silence for two hours a day. So how can we still practice silence realistically? 

1. Build it into your schedule. 

I know this sounds silly, but scheduling a few minutes of silence into your morning or nighttime routine makes it sustainable and realistic to do. Incorporating it into your lifestyle will make it feel like a part of your life, and not an extra chore you have to do. 

2. Designate a quiet space at home. 

Assigning a certain room or corner to be your distraction-free-space can help you stick to the practice better. Create an agreement with yourself that whenever you are in your quiet space, you are free of noise and distractions. Therefore, there’s no temptation to be had. A quiet space could be your favorite cozy chair or the corner of your room, just make it somewhere you feel comfortable and calm. 

3. Explore your options. 

Maybe you don’t know what a realistic silence routine looks like for you. That’s okay! Explore different moments of silence in different areas until you find what personally brings you the most peace. This could be trying it for a few moments before or after work, going out in nature and focusing on the natural silence, or it could be making your bed a screen and noise-free space. You can even start slowly, by just reading a book in silence (preferably fiction so the thoughts aren’t going crazy) and see how you feel (Calm). Whatever you do, try to embrace silence when it comes. 

Right now, something like a few moments of silence or meditation (and I mean real silence and meditation, not setting up your phone recording yourself doing it for the TikTok or Instagram Reel) sounds a little out there, but try it. Swap doom scrolling out for silence one day, and see how you change. You just might find your outlook a little different on things. 

Be well,

Audrey

Resources

Bernardi, L. “Cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and respiratory changes induced by different types of music in musicians and non-musicians: The importance of silence.” Heart, vol. 92, no. 4, 9 Dec. 2005, pp. 445–452, https://doi.org/10.1136/hrt.2005.064600.

Calm, Team. “The Benefits of Silence and How to Create a Quiet Time Ritual.” Calm Blog, Calm Blog, 10 Dec. 2023, www.calm.com/blog/benefits-of-silence#:~:text=Embracing%20the%20power%20of%20silence,brings%20you%20comfort%20and%20peace.

Johnson, Traci C. “Cortisol: What It Does & How to Regulate Cortisol Levels.” WebMD, WebMD, www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-cortisol. Accessed 25 Jan. 2024. 

Cox, Janelle. “7 Benefits of Silence.” Psych Central, Psych Central, 29 Apr. 2022, psychcentral.com/blog/the-hidden-benefits-of-silence#recap.

Timesofindia.com. “How Being Silent for One Hour Daily Can Change Your Life and Improve Health.” The Times of India, Times of India, 13 Oct. 2023, timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/de-stress/how-being-silent-for-one-hour-daily-can-change-your-life-and-improve-health/photostory/104372285.cms?picid=104372322.