Listening to the Quiet

I like quiet.

I like it so much, that many mornings I get up before dawn to simply listen to the quiet. Sounds silly to some. But, I crave those moments in our not-so-quiet world.

As a passionate observer of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry, it seems disloyal to admit this. Our entire industry is designed to overstimulate the world with a tsunami of information that comes to us in the form of push notifications, sounds, and vibrations, that alert us to something we might be missing — so that we don’t suffer from FOMO, the Fear of Missing Out.

What we’re missing is the quiet.

While we may know that noise has a detrimental effect on blood pressure and impacts our sleep, we ignore how silence can help relieve stress. It’s also said that just 2 hours of silence a day can help the brain prompt cell development in the hippocampus region of the brain. That part of our wickedly complex brain is related to memory, emotion, and learning. (Just call me Dr. Quiet. LOL.)

So, why not give yourself a gift this season? Try waking up extra early and stalk the quiet for a moment or two.

Turn off all distractions. (Yes — that means your mobile device.) Focus on capturing the elusive quiet — even if you have to use a sneaky weapon called noise cancelling headphones.

Embrace the quiet. Snuggle it like a child holds a favorite comfort object.

Then, wait. You may start to feel a bit of peace blanketing your brain. It could make you want more. In fact, learning to listen to the quiet could be the greatest gift you give yourself this season. (It could also be a gift that keeps giving to those you love as well.)

I’m not saying I know anything at all. But, I can have a simple wish for this holiday season. May we all purposely carve out a bit of time to discover how comforting it can be to find our quiet.

And may that quiet help us find a few moments of peace.

Source: https://www.iahe.com/docs/articles/Science_Says_Silence_Is_Much_More_Important_To_Our_Brains_Than_We_Think.pdf