Why Do You Need to Be Silent?

Summary

The article emphasizes the importance of silence for mental and physical health, contrary to societal biases that associate talking more with women and the general human need for quietude amidst the noise of modern life.

Abstract

The article "Why Do You Need to Be Silent?" argues that the need for silence transcends gender, refuting the stereotype that women talk more and addressing the universal human requirement for quietude. It highlights the detrimental effects of constant sensory input and noise in modern life, linking them to stress, burnout, and even depression. The piece suggests that silence, defined not just as an absence of sound but also as a reduction in sensory input, can lead to numerous health benefits, including lower blood pressure and heart rate, potential growth of new brain cells, improved sleep, and enhanced mindfulness. Silence is presented as a valuable tool for self-reflection, emotional regulation, and connecting with one's inner guidance. The author encourages readers to embrace moments of silence as a form of self-care and a way to foster a deeper understanding of oneself.

Opinions

The author challenges the gender-based stereotype that associates women with talking more and men with greater silence, emphasizing that the need for silence is a human issue, not specific to women.
Modern life is characterized as being overly hectic, fast, and loud, leading to sensory overload and contributing to stress-related conditions.
Silence is not merely the absence of sound but also the absence of sensory overload, which can lead to a more relaxed state and reduced stress.
The author posits that silence can have physiological benefits, such as decreasing blood pressure and heart rate, and may stimulate brain cell growth in the hippocampus, based on studies conducted on both humans and mice.
Exposure to noise, particularly talking, during tasks requiring concentration can increase cortisol levels, negatively impacting blood pressure and heart rate.
Silence is suggested to improve sleep quality by preventing the stress response triggered by environmental noise.
The article promotes the idea of silence as a form of luxury and a means to practice mindfulness, encouraging readers to consciously choose moments of silence for self-reflection and connection with the present moment.
The author shares personal experiences, highlighting the value of silence in difficult situations and the benefits of taking time to think before speaking.
Inner guidance and wisdom are more easily accessible in silence, as it allows individuals to hear their inner voice without the distractions of external noise.
The author advocates for the practical application of silence in daily life and suggests that readers consider joining Medium to support writers and access more content on the subject.

This is NOT a women’s problem, it’s a human problem.

Photo by Alex Alexander:pexels

The problem of staying silent has nothing to do with being of the female sex. Even though not being able to stay silent (or talking too much) is often (unjustly) attributed to women of all ages, walks of life, and backgrounds. Maybe women do talk more than men, but that doesn’t immediately mean that men spend more time in silence. And we all need silence.

As I already mentioned in many of my previous posts and stories, modern life nowadays is not only hectic and fast but also loud. Our sensory input is literally bombarded by information of all kinds. We feel overwhelmed very fast. Righteously so, because our cortices and cognitive resources are overwhelmed.

And then we pull out the big words: stress and eventually burnout, even depression.

I’m not saying that lack of silence directly causes stress and burnout. But I’m saying it definitely has an effect.

More than ever we need to spend time in silence.

Silence should not be observed as just complete absence of sound. It can also encompass lack of sensory input all together.

Think about it. You can sit in silence but still be stressed out by the amount of information you need to work through. You can still be overwhelmed while aimlessly scrolling through Instagram. But that’s a story for another time.

We often associate silence with boredom or even loneliness. What if we change the perspective? How? Let me list a couple of benefits that can nudge you into loving silence.

1.Silence decreases blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR). According to this small study done on 24 people, every 2 min break after listening to music independent of style significantly reduces BP and HR. Listening to meditative or relaxing music can induce a relaxing effect, which interestingly only increases with silence. Another study found that noise, especially talking, while working in places that require concentration increases cortisol. With increased cortisol our BP and our HR increases.

2. Silence can stimulate growth of new brain cells in hippocampus. Well, at least in mice but it’s a good start for us humans too. According to this study only “stimulation” of the neuronal cells with silence had lasting effect — increased number of the cells. And just to remind you of importance of hippocampus: hippocampus is among other things, responsible for consolidation of information from short-term memory to long-term memory.

4. Silence is golden. You must have heard this one before. And depending on your personality you either hated it or loved it. You either disregarded it thinking that only cowards don’t speak up, or you used it as an excuse not to speak up. As (almost) always the answer is the middle way. And silence is sometimes the middle way. From my own personal experience, I have never regretted not saying something when I was angry or hurt. I have never regretted buying myself time with silence and thinking my words through. Reaching inwards, asking quietly, and listening to the answer. To this day silence is my best friend when it comes to challenging situations or heated discussions.

5. Silence encourages mindfulness.

Staying in the moment, being present is a new luxury.

Start thinking of silence as a treat. We all tend to fill our space with music, podcasts, videos, photos, conversations. How about just — nothing? Consciously choose to stay in the moment with yourself. Be aware of your breathing and of your body. Enjoy it!

6. Your inner guidance will reveal yourself to you. It’s easier to hear your inner wisdom when you are silent. We often think that our inner voice is not loud enough. The signs should be more obvious, right? In reality, it is we who are too loud, too distracted. Inner guidance is always speaking, we just need to get silent in order to hear it.

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