Silence. Oh, what a beautiful thing to sit in utter silence and just be. To be still and hear the birds chirping, the waves lapping against the shoreline, and bees buzzing as they pollinate the flowers. Silence is truly a time for us to listen and be aware of what is going on around us, and in us.
Silence. Do you enjoy silence, or not so much? Do you feel you need your quiet time each day? Or do you not enjoy silence, rather having something to watch/listen to/fill the quietness?
Most people tend to desire some sort of quiet time in their day. Whether it be to let their mind take a break from thinking, to focus on “joy in the little things”, time to pray or meditate, or to just simply be. Each individual has their own reasons for having their quiet time.
Did you know that some people need more or less silence than others? Yes, this is true. Certain personality types, and seasons of life, can both be good examples of this. Introverted individuals tend to need more silence and quiet moments than extroverts. (This isn’t to say extroverts don’t need quiet time, because they do.) The other example of seasons of life with needing more silence can be when something serious happens and a person truly needs quiet time. Whether it’s spent alone or with someone, a person can benefit greatly from having quiet time.
Quiet time and enjoying the sound of silence has many health benefits. Did you know that by taking time for quietness you can decrease stress, lower blood pressure, reduce plaque build up in arteries, boosts the Immune System, helps regulate hormones, and so much more! The health benefits are HUGE by taking time each day to enjoy the sound of silence!
Each and everyday we can choose to jam pack our days with unending tasks, to-do lists, projects and various commitments. This can be a good thing to some degree, but it is vitally important that we also take time for ourselves. By spending 15-30 minutes each day enjoying the sound of silence, we can GREATLY benefit our health. In this quiet time, maybe you will find yourself praying or meditating. Other times, you may just go and sit next to the water and be tranquilized with its sounds, movement, and brilliance. Yet again, maybe you want to simply close your eyes and focus on your breathing, taking slow deep breaths in and long exhales out. You never know, you may just end up taking a quick nap during this time, which can also be a good thing. Allowing ourselves to decompress via the sound of silence, we are also allowing our bodies the ability to go into the parasympathetic nervous system’s relaxation response. The rest and digest stage of peacefulness in our bodies. When we don’t allow our bodies enough parasympathetic system time, we feel the stress in our bodies, our thoughts being anxious, having anxiety and unrest. We ALL would benefit more greatly by allowing ourselves to enter into our parasympathetic nervous system relaxation response a regular basis.
Today, I ask you the reader, “What are you going to do to enjoy the sound of silence today? Are you going to sit next to the water? Are you going to sit in a chair in the sun and maybe drift off into a short slumber? Or are you going to simply put your feet up and look at the beauty all around you taking in the unending beauty?” Whatever your choice may be, I’m happy that you are willing to take the time to do this simple, yet profoundly, healthy exercise. You are doing yourself a huge favor in so many ways by doing this!
The sound of silence. What a powerful thing. To sit and be. To focus on quiet and to not let your mind wander. Today is the day to start doing this, if you aren’t already doing this. Focus on starting with just 5 minutes and work yourself up to 15 minutes. Each day increase by one minute. Don’t have the time? Let’s be real. We ALL have the same amount of time in each day and there is no reason we can’t do this for a couple minutes each day. Worst case scenario, that you have NO time. Do this simple activity right before you go to bed. You can even do this IN bed. Ten to one it will help allow you to fall asleep faster. (Trust me, I’ve tried it when my brain won’t shut off. It works the majority of the time.)
I hope that you will take the time to enjoy the sound of silence each and every day. The health benefits are numerous and this is really a life changing activity. It’s the little things in life that are big. And this my friend, is the prime example of it! May you enjoy the sound of silence today and in the many days to come. Have a blessed day and catch you next time!
Your Life, Your Choice 