The 8 Beautiful Benefits of Silence
Photo by Kalen Emsley on Unsplash
“Let’s go to that silent retreat center we heard about,” I said to my husband. “The one in the mountains.”
I was in graduate school at the time, enrolled in a Personal Development course. The topic of the day was the practice of life disciplines and principles of self-care.
One of the disciplines was silence.
“Uh oh,” I thought to myself. I may have accidentally spoken those words out loud in the middle of class.
Naturally, I was a talker. I liked to make noise. Silence was not always my friend. Sometimes, I was uncomfortable with it.
Often, the only thing I knew to do with silence was fill it.
If I was with a timid person who didn’t say much, I tended to fill the air with chitchat and questions. I honestly didn’t know what to do with silence.
I come from a family of talkers, the kind where you have to wait with bated breath to sneak in a few words. There is little time and space for silence . . . unless someone is angry with you, ignoring you, or giving you the silent treatment.
When my husband would drive silently in the car—with no radio, no chatter—I thought there was something wrong. I thought he was angry at me. Rather, he was just enjoying the silence. I didn’t know what it felt like to enjoy silence.
“Unnecessary noise is the most cruel absence of care that can be inflicted on the sick or well.”
— Florence Nightingale, 1859
A New Experience
We packed our bags and headed to the retreat center for a 24-hour getaway. In this place, they practiced the discipline of silence.
My husband and I stayed in separate dorm rooms—no talking allowed. We passed each other from time to the time in the hallway on the way to the restroom or the library. We smiled and waved at each other, careful to not exchange any words.
I can remember sitting alone in my bedroom, alone with myself in the silence. It scared me. All I had were my own inner thoughts, the ones I was suddenly forced to face.
But, other than that, it was utter silence.
I had never learned to be silent, never learned to be still.
The next day, we were invited to a meal. I was used to meals filled with lively conversation and interesting discussion. This meal was going to be different. It was a “silent” meal.
I can still remember the moment, my husband and I sitting at the long rectangular table with at least twenty others. The only audible sound was the dinner bell and the clanging of silverware. We were served a bowl of soup and a piece of bread.
I could not say “hello,” “thank you,” “what is your name?” “how are you?” Not a word could be spoken. It was painful for me, painful to the point that I could no longer contain my words or my sounds. I broke out in suppressed laughter, much to my husband’s dismay. I did not pass the test. I could not practice the discipline of silence. I would have to report to my professor on Monday morning that I had failed the course.
Photo by Jelleke Vanooteghem on Unsplash
Why is it So Hard to Practice the Discipline of Silence?
“Even if you clear out the distractions and create space for quiet, you’ll have to get comfortable with yourself—with being alone with your thoughts, failures, hopes, dreams, wounds, and longings. For some of us, quiet can be the scariest place to go.”
— Rebekah Lyons, Rhythms of Renewal
What Beautiful Benefits Can We Gain From Silence?
According to psychotherapist, Atlanta Beaumont:
1. It stimulates brain growth. “In 2013, a study into brain structure and function found that a minimum of two hours of silence could result in the creation of new brain cells in the area of our brains linked to learning and recall.”
Imke Kirste, a biologist at Duke University, studied this phenomenon. “We saw that silence is really helping the new generated cells to differentiate into neurons and integrate into the system.”
2. It relieves stress. Noise elevates our levels of cortisol and adrenaline, which lead to higher stress levels.
3. It relaxes us. Silence lowers our blood pressure and increases blood flow to the brain.
4. It enhances sleep and decreases insomnia by helping us to “wind down.”
5. It lowers heart disease and tinnitus. “Research throughout the 20th century has linked noise pollution to an increase in heart disease and tinnitus (ringing in the ears). The World Health Organization likened it to a ‘modern plague.’”
6. It increases awareness and personal reflection by allowing us the needed space to listen to our inner voice.
7. It increases focus. Although some people can work well in chaotic and noisy environments, like a busy coffeehouse, focus and concentration are increased in quiet and silent environments.
8. It increases our creativity. Silence restores our cognitive resources. “This includes daydreaming, thinking about the future, letting our minds wander, and meditating. When we allow ourselves to disengage and relax, we are able to tap into our inner thoughts, ideas, and memories. The brain’s default mode lets us think deeply and creatively outside of the box.”
9. It gives you space to meet yourself. Even in the silence, when face-to-face with your own scary thoughts, you can begin to see yourself, hear your thoughts. You can begin to see where you need to grow and develop.
“All profound things and emotion of things are proceeded and attended by silence.”
— Herman Melville
In this loud and noisy world, people are desperate for quiet. “Silence is so rare nowadays that people are increasingly prepared to pay good money for it.”
Whether it be silent meditation retreats, with no talking and no music, or expensive noise-cancelling headphones retailing at several hundreds of dollars, people are desiring to get away from the loud noise and distractions around them.
“Silence is a resource. It could be marketed just like clean water or wild mushrooms.“
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Longing for Silence
Now that I am older and more mature, I long for silence. My brain screams for silence. My personal world of family and work are loud and noisy. The society that surrounds me is filled with chaos and distractions—the sounds of the busy city, crowded marketplaces, loud honking and traffic, the demands of paperwork and visas, the stress of flights and travel, noisy foreign languages.
Today, I would love to return to that retreat center for some quiet and solace. But this time, I would make it much longer than 24 hours!
“Speak only when you feel your words are better than silence.”
— Anonymous
Works Cited:
https://edubirdie.com/blog/this-is-your-brain-on-silence
Guest author, Marci Renée, along with her French husband and four boys, is a global nomad who has traveled to more than 30 countries and has lived in the United States, France, Morocco, and Spain. She loves to travel, speak foreign languages, experience different cultures, eat ethnic foods, meet people from faraway lands, and of course, write and tell stories. She is a published author of children's picture books, memoirs, short stories, and poetry.
You can find Marci and her books on her website.
"The Cultural Story-Weaver," at www.culturalstoryweaver.com