The Power of Silence

Hi everyone,

Liz here.

And today I want to talk about something that sounds really,

Really simple,

But can be really,

Really transformative.

And that is silence.

So silence isn't just the absence of noise,

But it's that intentional mindful silence,

That practice that can help you really reconnect with yourself,

Understand your emotions,

And really reduce stress and anxiety.

So we live in a world today that is always on,

Right?

Always on.

And our brains cannot just be.

It's the constant noise of podcasts,

Of notifications on your phone,

Of conversations,

The hum of traffic outside your window,

Right?

And it's like,

We need a little bit of a noise detox.

Sometimes.

But silence,

Like I'm talking about,

Isn't empty either.

It's,

It's a space where we can hear ourselves,

Hear our body and reconnect.

So even for five,

10,

15 minutes a day,

Being in silence can create really profound shifts in your wellbeing and in your inner world.

So silence kind of lets you tune into what's happening inside of you,

That interoception,

That idea of being able to understand our bodily sensations and our interception,

Which is understanding our thoughts and our feelings and our emotions.

So it strips away a lot of the distractions and helps you really notice thoughts and emotions and all of those physical sensations that you might not even realize are actually there.

How many times have you been really stressed and been like,

I don't even understand.

I don't know what's going on.

Why?

Nothing has happened.

Nothing has changed.

Why am I all of a sudden stressed?

And a lot of times it's because we're unaware of our unconscious thoughts or emotional states or patterns that are kind of simmering underneath.

And we've been able to see before like the big things,

Right?

Work stress,

Stress from personal life,

But we've pushed down a lot of the like rushing to get to dinner,

Dinner on the table three nights a week,

Or feeling like you don't have enough time to do all of the things that you need to get done.

Right.

And that's just chronic small things that build up in our system over time.

So it might be circumstances that you're not noticing.

You aren't taking time to notice that create this stress on this overwhelm.

So silence is a really good way to bring that stuff that's under the surface up into the light.

So when you practice silence,

It's good to create like a sanctuary for reflection.

You want somewhere obviously that's quiet.

You don't want anything huge happening around you.

And it's you observe your thoughts kind of like clouds passing through the sky.

You might notice things,

You might notice negative patterns,

Maybe like loops of self criticism coming out or worry about the future or a lot of old memories resurfacing.

But by seeing them clearly,

You can start to challenge them,

Right?

You can ask yourself,

Is this really true?

Is it helpful?

Am I worrying about this thing that is completely outside of my control and no matter how much I worry,

Nothing's going to help or am I worrying about this because I can be taking some sort of action to help with it,

Right?

And the silence helps you find which one of those you're working with,

Right?

So in that space,

In that silence,

Space between,

You can choose to let go.

You can choose to reframe.

You can choose to take action or even just acknowledge that stuff is happening,

Right?

Without letting it control you.

The cool thing about practicing silence is it doesn't have to be a meditation,

Right?

You can work in silence.

You can't have podcasts on,

You can't have music on,

You can't have people chattering at you,

But you still can work.

You can sit and do your task.

Just you and your work.

The thing is I also try and stay away from social media during this because while silence we usually think of as an auditory thing,

The social media is an overstimulation.

It's almost like noise for our visual senses,

Right?

So that overstimulation of like scrolling can also create a distraction and pull you away from that inner world.

So when we talk about silence,

We're talking about all of the noise,

Right?

Visual smells sometimes are really distracting.

If we are in a place where there's a lot of different smells,

We might want to take ourselves away from that is part of our silence sanctuary and then obviously auditory,

Right?

So as you take some time and work in silence,

Pay attention to what is arising.

You might be really surprised about some of the thoughts and feelings that bubble up and it can feel overwhelming at first.

That's okay.

If it becomes too much,

It's really good to reach out to somebody that you trust,

Like a friend or a guide or you know,

Somebody that can be there for you.

But often just noticing what's there is enough to start to shift it,

Right?

Just acknowledging saying,

Hey,

I'm feeling anxious,

Right?

And silence is also a really,

Really,

Really great way to reconnect with your body.

Especially if you're living with chronic illness or pain,

The silence can help you listen to what your body is trying to say to you,

Right?

Beyond the noises of like symptoms or stress or,

You know,

Everyday stuff,

It's really a chance to ask,

What do I need right now?

Maybe it's rest.

Maybe you need to do some movement.

Maybe you just need a moment of stillness.

So the silence allows you to start working with your body instead of really fighting against it,

Right?

So what I would suggest is to really start small,

Start with five minutes a day,

Maybe first thing in the morning,

Maybe during a break,

Maybe before you go to bed at night,

And just notice how it feels.

Does your mind resist it?

Does your body relax?

What happens?

Like there's no right or wrong way to do this,

Right?

So the goal isn't to achieve anything.

It's just to be present with yourself.

All right.

Thank you for listening today.

I hope that you give silence a try.

Even just a little bit can make a huge difference.

So have a wonderful day and see you next time.