There is a lot of noise in the world. We are constantly bombarded with sound, whether from traffic, people talking, or electronic devices. This noise can be overwhelming and stressful. Many people find comfort in being surrounded by noise, but embracing silence also benefits. This blog post will discuss the benefits of silence and embrace it.

Do you find it challenging to embrace silence?

Here's a little activity to try if you want to know if you are comfortable with silence. First, find a silent space where you can stay by yourself. Make sure no one can bother you as much as possible. It can be your room or a secluded nature spot where hardly anyone ventures. Make sure you don't have any gadgets with you, as they can bother you with notifications. Now, spend around 10 minutes in this quiet spot, just sitting or lying around. See if you can survive 10 minutes without feeling anxious because you have no one to talk to, and there's hardly any background noise to disturb you. If you feel queasy for even one moment, talk to yourself to hear some noise, or feel uncomfortable, you lose. On the other hand, suppose you manage to survive 10 minutes, staying calm and not getting paranoid about the silence. Congratulations! You seem to know how to embrace silence and appreciate its value.

We have a noisy world nowadays. There's too much external noise that constantly gets our attention, such as:

• The voice of people speaking to each other or talking to us directly
• Music from the radio or music players
• Frequent jingles and notification sounds from our cellphones and computers.
• Blaring horns from vehicles
• Sounds coming from the television shows or live events

Hearing too much noise can be stressful. It can distract and make us lose focus when we drown in too much sound. And we get conditioned in this kind of lifestyle. Living and working in the city can expose one to sounds, making it more challenging to pause for even a short moment. Also, noise is not limited to the literal sounds every day. There's also noise in information overload from what we hear, read, and see on social media, the Internet, and people. Too much noise and information can cause sensory overload sometimes. Wouldn't it be nice to take a break sometimes, or even daily, for a short moment?

Within silence lies some benefits.

We get conditioned in such noise-filled conditions that many of us may find it unusual to spend some quiet time without any disturbances suddenly. However, silence and peace are not reserved only for introverts and people who don't socialize much. It's something all of us can do if we only decide to make an effort to do it. Moreover, moments of stillness and quiet give us several benefits.

• Silence offers us a chance to get in touch with ourselves and see if we are okay. It helps us break free from being busy and not lose sight of what we do.
• Taking a breather moment can help keep our attention spans in check. However, constantly getting bombarded with information and noise can make us crave something that will get our attention. Our focus gets hampered as a result.
• Spending time in silence is an excellent time for self-reflection and self-awareness. Without anyone disturbing you, you can use this time to assess your life and see how you are doing. Are you on track to achieving your goals? What else do you want to accomplish in life? What direction should you take? Questions like these pop into your mind easier if you listen to yourself.
• When we experience silence, we get to appreciate the present moment. On the other hand, getting engulfed in daily noise can make us rush too much in doing things that we may lose time enjoying what's going on around us.
• Quiet time is an excellent time to explore some spirituality in your life. You can get in touch with your true self and see how you play a part in the bigger world. You can connect with the divine and realize things you may not know if you are too busy with life.

How to have some time to listen to your inner voice

It's not very difficult to build silence in your everyday life. It's possible to do it daily, even for just five minutes. Quiet time can help remove tension and find peace in your life. There are simple things you can try to make a habit to help find silence in your life.

• Dedicate a time for silence daily. Find a spot where there isn't too much noise. It could be your room in your house, a secluded area in the nearby park, or even inside the bathroom. The idea is to cut off the noise around you to have a breather and relax.
• Once you have found a good spot for finding peace, do meditation and relaxation. Try not to think of anything inside your head, and don't engage in any distraction, like taking out your cellphone and fiddling with social media or playing games. Also, try not to listen to music while in your quiet time.
• Spend a good amount of your time in nature. Although there are still sounds you can hear in nature, such as the chirping of birds or the rustling of leaves, they are not as loud as sounds you hear in urban areas. Something is comforting to spending time with nature, and it helps keep our eyes away from staring at screens all the time.
• Try to do things solo. Being alone while doing things can block off some chatter if you want to and make you more independent. Of course, nothing's wrong with spending time with your friends, but sometimes, you may want to experience doing something by yourself, and it's an excellent way to find some silence in your life.
• Practice listening more to other people rather than always talking about something. Listening may give you more insight into what others say and cut off unnecessary chatter. Some people find it weird to spend a significant amount of time not speaking at all, but it's something doable and provides a different perspective aside from doing all the talk by yourself.

There are various ways to quiet one's mind. One of the first things we can do is control our environment to have some space for ourselves and find time for silence. Also, one must make a conscious effort to find some quiet time in life since it's too easy to get carried away by the noise of everyday life. Sit or lie down for a while, stop talking, and get to know yourself better and the things happening around you.