Sampan Mehta Week 11: The Power of Silence
The world we all live in today is filled with so much noise that it can be difficult for some to find a peaceful moment of silence. Wherever we go, schools, stores, airports, gyms, and even our homes, there always seems to be some kind of background noise or chatter that disturbs the peace. Silence is always considered as a bad thing, as it is constantly associated with being isolated from everyone else. There seems to be a collective idea that if you are silent, you are considered weird, socially awkward, or simply lonely; I always feared this judgment myself, until I realized the true benefits and power of remaining silent.
Everyday when I get home from school, I always feel relieved that I could get away from all the noise, and find a moment of stillness and silence with no background noise or distractions. This moment of stillness is crucial to understanding the hidden benefits of silence, which include promoting self-awareness, relieving stress, increasing concentration, information processing, and so much more. In silence, you can start to better understand your mind and body, as you can focus on reflecting on your emotions, thoughts, and actions from the busy school day. This connects to relieving stress, as sitting in silence can allow your mind to take a break from all the noise, increasing relaxation. Just as our stomachs take time to digest food, our brains take some time to digest a ton of information, which many people struggle to do in such a short time period. Silence can help solve this problem, as giving your brain a silent moment can increase the speed of processing information, and can allow you to get a more clear idea of everything you did during the day. Noise not only disturbs information processing, but can severely affect concentration, as it is difficult to concentrate with so much noise around you. A silent moment is critical to allowing your brain to focus on one thing at a time, rather than trying to multitask.
Silence can be a simple solution to quite a few problems internally, but remaining silent externally might not be such a bad thing either. Many people who are generally quiet are judged for being shy or isolated, yet being a quiet person has its own benefits as well. Quiet people turn out to be more observant, have better quality friends, make meaningful connections, and so much more. Quieter people are always more aware of themselves and the environment around them, and they tend to steer clear of trouble and analyze the emotions of people near them. With their observation skills, they always think fast by thinking about what they will say before speaking to match the tone of their surroundings; these skills lead to better friendships and connections, as introverts are extremely picky with who they want to have a connection with. Ultimately, everyone should embrace and appreciate their silent moments, as it holds a tremendous power on our well being.
Links:
https://time.com/5373403/surprising-benefits-introvert/
https://psychcentral.com/blog/the-hidden-benefits-of-silence#helps-you-concentrate
https://hbr.org/2021/07/dont-underestimate-the-power-of-silence
https://medium.com/illumination/the-power-of-being-silent-30575cd38d1
https://www.thepositivepsychologypeople.com/the-power-of-silence/
https://whisperroom.com/tips/7-benefits-of-silence-why-we-need-less-noise/
Hi Sampan! I found your blog on the significance of silence to be extremely relatable and prompted me to a deeper reflection on the importance of moments of peacefulness. As you wisely expressed, the constant blast of noise in our daily lives often obscures the benefits of embracing silence, leading many to overlook its profound impact on mental well-being. The personal anecdote about finding comfort in silence after returning home from school is extremely powerful as it showcases the power of quiet reflection. This relatable experience serves as a clear reminder that even though the world is constantly moving, creating moments of silence can provide us with a much-needed respite from the chaos. Furthermore, your exploration of the external perception of silence sheds light on the societal misconceptions surrounding introversion and shyness. By challenging the preconceived notion that silence equates to social awkwardness or isolation, you highlight the unique strengths and qualities that quiet individuals possess. I deeply value moments of silence and self-reflection, and I can completely attest to the enhanced clarity and self-awareness that can come from embracing spending time with yourself. In my own experience, I found that making a routine of self-care and quiet moments of silence has been instrumental in managing stress and creating a deeper connection with myself and others. Whether it's through journaling, or simply sitting in silence listening to comforting music, I have discovered that silence holds a great power to nourish the mind, body, and soul.Overall, I found your blog extremely effective; by encouraging readers to generate moments of quietness and reflection, you inspire a deeper appreciation for the silence that can affect our overall well-being. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHey Sampan! I completely agree with your claim that silence holds immense power in shaping an individual’s thoughts and actions. Whenever my mind starts getting flooded with thoughts and worries, there is not much I can do physically to make myself feel the same as usual. Contrary to you, being at school provides me with a moment of distraction from my own noisy thoughts, but when I’m by myself at night, worries tend to flood my brain. Personally, I’ve found that spending just a short ten minutes each day, either sitting or lying down, listening to a meditation or calming podcast on Spotify is incredibly helpful in drowning out whatever thoughts are occupying my mind at the moment that come with my anxiety. Therefore, your mention of a moment of stillness and silence is definitely a valid point, as I found that I was able to stop my brain from thinking by focusing on myself and my presence by taking deep breaths in and out. I feel like reflection is an especially beneficial tool for teenagers our age, since we are burdened with so many tasks on a day-to-day basis. Having moments to be alone and be away from not just the external noises but the internal noises that we create inside ourselves is equally important in terms of maintaining our health. Additionally, like you stated, having time to understand yourself is a crucial and undeniable part of our lives, which is why I have found vitality in a moment of silence through meditation. In essence, I feel like your blog beautifully emphasizes the power that silence holds in people’s lives. It's a reminder that, amidst the chaos of everything, there is immense value in embracing moments of quiet reflection. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and inspiring a deeper appreciation for the beauty of silence.
ReplyDeleteHi Sampan! I greatly enjoyed appreciating the intricacies of your blog. First and foremost, you picked to double as the image for this blog is fitting and a powerful statement that you thoroughly back throughout the blog. The first paragraph is relatable as chatter around us has been the norm. It also indeed feels as if society condemns silence, quickly associating it with being socially awkward, as I have never felt comfortable staying silent in a social setting before. When I do chat with others, I do not feel this social pressure so this feeling of dread associated with silence is certainly not the norm. I did not know how many benefits came with silence. This makes me wonder about listening to music while studying. As I write this comment, I am listening to a song. Perhaps I would be able to focus more on writing if I did not listen to the song.This greatly reminds me of when I work on notes in school and at home. Usually, I listen to some songs while doing notes at home and I have actually found that I am much faster when I am not listening to songs at school. The information you have provided on silence increases the speed of processing information and is highly relatable. This also reminds me why people may find meditation so important as it is a chance to escape the noisy world around us and focus simply on ourselves. I meditate briefly every night and it does work to calm me down. When you’re standing in the dark, there isn’t much else poking at your senses and you feel at peace. I also did not know that being quiet could allow us to make more meaningful friends, but upon further reflection, being quiet does mean that when you do speak to get to know another person, they would be more special than the average acquaintance.
ReplyDeleteHi Sampan,
ReplyDeleteI found your blog to be really unique, especially considering our blog topic for this quarter to be language and power. When I first thought of language and power, I immediately thought of how important communicating and speaking with others is. However, your blog offered a much more unique approach to the topic and has certainly been very enlightening for me. I completely agree with your judgment on how there a certain power to being silent and it is in no way and bad or awkward thing. As an introvert myself, I often spend a lot of time in silence rather than engaging in conversation with others. As you state in your introduction, I was often advised against this and told to speak more since it was considered “socially awkward.” However, as I observed myself, I found that being silent, taking the time to listen to people and their opinions, and empathizing with them was much more rewarding not only for my mental health internally but also for the external environment surrounding me. I also grew up in a family that practices meditating regularly, so I can greatly resonate with the benefits of silence and keeping our energy inwards. Overall I really enjoyed your blog and I myself am encouraged and hope to embrace and appreciate my silent moments a bit more now!