After a concert, a loud party, a discussion, or an argument, don’t you value silence as pure gold?

Recently I’ve been focusing on the silent moments in my daily life, and I’ve discovered that sometimes, I avoid them. And by silence, I mean the absence of noise my ears can pick up and the million things my eyes see.

Everything that pushes us away from our inner selves is noise because it distracts us from being in contact with our actual thoughts, ideas, feelings, sensations, etc. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we should be alone in a white, quiet room forever; it’s just that sometimes we spend so much time in noisy environments that it’s hard to remember the last time we were in a “silent mood.”

We live surrounded by a million devices with screens and speakers that are hardly ever turned off. That’s noise. Social media and chats make us available 24×7 and platforms show us information we’re not asking for (that’s why I hate opening Google on my phone). That’s a louder noise.

There are a million articles, podcasts, and videos of specialists explaining the profound changes this lifestyle is bringing to humans. Our priorities, the way we see life, our goals, our criteria, among many other things, are altered. But it doesn’t matter, even if we read those articles or if we come across cute and cheesy Instagram posts saying:

It’s hard to stop. Some people are just too addicted. They might be terrified to get bored or start hearing their thoughts and feelings.

Others would tell me: “You can’t escape from what surrounds you. You need to go with the flow!”.

Go with the flow?!?!

Honestly, although I’m scared to go with the flow, it also scares me to go against it because the truth is “noise” brings me benefits. For instance, I need social media and video calls to stay connected with my family and friends in my hometown.

But I’m trying to learn some moves

At this point, I’ve spent many hours thinking about how to be part of the flow without diluting myself in it. I’m convinced I can find a convenient spot where I use the advantages I want and, at the same time, distinguish if I’m being pulled too hard into the dark side, so I can make a quick move and return to the nicer/healthier place. It would be like learning to dance in the flow.

Here’s what I have found helpful to keep myself in this cool spot:

1. Consuming a balanced diet. Reading news from small or independent outlets, looking for music from independent artists, visiting a friend instead of only chatting with him. Listening to the podcasts I mentioned before is very useful too. It’s like eating vegetables! In this case, they provide the strength you need to keep one foot out of the flow; they act as an anchor.

2. Seeking out silent moments. The most important one. Things like: 

• Closing or uninstalling our social media for at least a few days.
• Going out without carrying our phone. Leave it on the table on purpose!
• Hanging out with our friends without constantly flipping through our smartwatches or checking our social media notifications (keeping in mind that if someone urgently needs us, they’ll call).

This brings us to being open to overcoming the anxiety we all tend to feel when we keep noise sources apart from us. 

In the end, being in “silence” after a long period of “noise” could be scary; still, it turns out to be a relief most of the time. Sometimes it could be as delightful as getting home and putting on our PJs after a tough, busy, loud and long day.

I’m working on finding more opportunities to experience it, though.