The Hidden Strength in Silence
In an increasingly noisy and loud world we live in, more and more people are now in search of ways and means that can help them make relaxed. Quiet pauses in the early hours of the day can help us connect with the divine, ease our minds and put us in touch with ourselves. We need to learn to choose and make silence a part of our lives. Maybe it’s by taking a moment to remember a loved one, waking up before the sun rises or replacing a noisy time of day with a calming break.
The great Rumi says: “Listen to silence. It has so much to say”. “Silence can benefit us if we use it wisely,” says Julie Potiker, a mindfulness expert and author of the new book, Life Falls Apart, But You Don’t Have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos. “If we allow the quiet to slow us down and open us up to what is there in our environment — a dog barking, a bird chirping — it means focusing attention on what you are hearing, which can stop your mind from ruminating and worrying.”
What being Silent Means?
Being quiet and being silent are not synonymous, but they’re often seen as one and the same. Being quiet is, in some way, equivalent to keeping your mouth shut — not making your voice heard. But being silent is more about entering a sacred place within yourself. When you’re silent, an inner sanctuary opens up and your mind calms down and is freed from the endless cycle of thinking. Silence is the vehicle that takes us to the innermost center of our being, which is the place for all authentic practice,
Benefits of practicing Silence
1. Concentration
One of the major reasons why silence has become an important part of everyday life is the ability to focus as the modern world and its various noises enter your brain all at once. The ability to focus on different tasks is often accompanied by a little background noise.
Focus is almost always lost when a sound reaches around 80 decibels. A silent environment or one with just a little background noise will help you concentrate the best.
2. Creativity
Without a doubt, creativity is an important part of life, and silence is an important part of the creative process. Some studies have shown how important silence is to the success of individuals as they move through the creative process. An article on Medium explains that visionary scientists like Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton worked almost exclusively alone for the majority of their lives. Psychoanalyst Ester Buchholz has previously explained the best creative work is often completed in solitude or after a period of solitude.
Brainstorming with others offers its own set of benefits, but some of the best creative work happens when the outside world is shut out and your craft gets all the focus.
3. Productivity
How do you measure productivity? If you are running on very little sleep and trying to complete as many tasks as possible in as short a time as possible, you may be missing out on the benefits of silence. In an article by Inc., research suggests that doing nothing and remaining silent has been reported to increase the production of new brain cells which could make you more productive in the future simply by doing nothing. Taking time to daydream may actually improve your productivity tenfold.
4. Awareness
Many distractions and noises flood our world. You may never discover how you can improve your life when your attention is always being drawn away. However, you can improve your awareness by practicing silence. Taking time to self-reflect will help you figure out if your life is working the way you’d like it to. Once you become aware of the changes you’d like to see, you’ll be able to make a conscious improvement to the patterns of your life.
5. Patience
Constant noise from the media and our day-to-day lives causes many of us to miss out on the benefits of silence. In today’s fast-paced world, almost everyone has a short fuse for frustration. Learning to enjoy silence cultivates calmness and peacefulness. When regularly practiced, your tolerance levels for becoming impatient will likely grow too. When you learn to savor silent moments, you’ll have more patience in daily hassles like traffic jams and long lines at the store.
Wrap Up
In short, take time out of your day to be silent. Hold a moment of silence when you wake up in the morning. Go into a room during the workday, and close the door for a few minutes. Pause just before you go to bed.
Thrive Global Founder & CEO Arianna Huffington says, “We all need time to be alone. We all need time to be still and to be silent.” We can’t be afraid of silence, Huffington suggests. Otherwise, we will burn out and succumb to a position of powerlessness. Leverage opportunities to remove yourself from the noise to center yourself and increase your energy and power.
There are times when silence can speak louder than words. Know when silence will help you more effectively speak up for yourself, lead and increase your power.
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Muhammad Sajwani is the Founder, Managing Director and Principal Consultant at Evolve HR which aims at transforming, enriching and evolving Human Capital of Pakistan. At Evolve HR, him and his team thrives in challenging assumptions that hinder organisational aspirations, by creating innovative solutions that yield maximum impact, scalability & benefit to a wider base of stakeholders.As a Business Coach and Organisational Consultant, Sajwani knows how to combine business insights with people insights to transform organisations and put them on the path to growth.
