The art of silence and of learning to appreciate it

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S i l e n c e.

A word with just a few letters, several vowels and, above all, meaning.

Anxiety and stress are taking over our daily routine more and more. We are always racing against it, busy with work, studies, household responsibilities and more. As a result, finding and setting aside a moment in the day to be still, silent and at peace is not always a simple task. Yet it is fair to say that this habit is increasingly necessary for the sake of our physical and mental health.

And there is certainly no better time to talk about the importance of making time for silence than on its very own day, Silence Day, celebrated on 7 May. In today's blog post, we look at the benefits this simple habit can bring us as human beings.

1. Relief for the brain

Silence gives the brain one of the hardest things to come by: a pause. Throughout the day, we overload our nervous system with stimuli, information, worries and thoughts about all sorts of subjects. However, when we relax and allow ourselves to fall silent and think about nothing, the brain rests and recovers, freeing itself from accumulated fatigue.

2. More creativity and focus

Following on from the previous point, when our brain is rested, it makes room for creativity to flourish. This is because silence encourages activity in deeper, less explored areas of the mind. That is why you may have heard of people who reach the height of their creativity in solitary moments or in deep silence, such as during yoga, meditation, or walks and exercise done in their own company.

3. Instant relief from anxiety and stress

Most of us get stressed during the day for the most trivial reasons: heavy traffic, personal relationships and tight deadlines for delivering something at work.

This is where another great benefit of silence comes in: it gives the body and mind a tool for calming down.

When we quieten the body and mind, especially through meditation, we keep stress and anxiety under control. In this way, we also support better digestive and immune function, as well as sleeping better and feeling better overall.

4. Much more concentration

Have you ever tried to concentrate on a really important piece of work with the neighbours shouting, dogs barking and a car blasting music driving past? Joking aside (though there is a grain of truth in it), focusing and finding silence is the foundation for doing a job well.

Away from distractions, you may well find you get things done faster too. Try it for yourself and you'll thank us!

5. Combine it with slow breathing

To finish, a tip for making your silence even more restorative is to combine it with deep-breathing exercises. As well as the immediate relief brought by better air distribution, this practice slows down the rate at which you breathe. And slow breathing is full of benefits for our body. According to a study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, breathing slowly can activate the connection between body and mind, relaxing both instantly. Amazing, isn't it? What's more, it is easy to fit into your routine. So, what are you waiting for to make silence part of your everyday life from now on? If you need help putting this technique into practice, don't hesitate to talk to us in the comments or via direct message on our social media.

It will be an honour to help you!

Thank you for reading to the end.