Silence and Sound
Have you ever thought about the relationship between silence and sound, its opposite? Since starting to meditate, I have come to prefer and welcome silence more and more into my life.
Is it a natural side effect?
I’m not sure, but after some study on this, my instincts to create more silence may actually more about life and death.
Maybe I shouldn’t go that far, but it can be a big contributor to the state of human health.
I was compelled to write about this for a couple reasons: meditation, and reading about how silence can be utterly profound.
Silence and sound are two things I think about with regard to meditation. Sound isn’t a barrier to meditation, but I sure do like it much better when I can’t hear any sounds. I often use earplugs as a result.
We’re Surrounded By Noise
Modern life dictates that on any given day, we’re all subject to the sounds of cars, motorcycles, televisions, humming computers, phones ringing, planes, trains, music on our devices, coffee makers, alarms, tea kettles, construction sounds, factory sounds, air conditioning, heating, and more.
I’m pretty sure no one would classify these as “relaxing.”
We Don’t Like the Silence
Even as I’ve embraced meditation and the silence that comes with it, I still can have a hard time “keeping silence.” When I do the dishes, I often like to talk to a family member or a friend on the phone. When I’m driving, I often have music on the radio (even if it is usually wordless, calming music) or a podcast playing.
Most people I know haven’t taken the steps to start their days with meditation, or with other calming activities. But the “silence” sets the tone for the whole day. I know this from experience.
When it comes to working in silence, going about the day without the TV emitting its cacaphony in the background, or listening to the radio, or cleaning the house, most of us get uncomfortable.
We’re not used to it. We don’t like the silence when conversations naturally lull, either.
All That Noise Affects Our Health
A study from Harvard suggests that people who live near an airport, for example, are regularly exposed to sounds of 55 decibels or higher.
In a study of elderly patients who lived near airports, for each increase in 10 decibels of sound that they were regularly exposed to, their risk for cardiovascular disease increased by 3.5%.
This is an everyday noise. Something we probably don’t even think about!
Sounds Can Jar, Sounds Can Heal
That makes sense, though. Think about how you might feel after listening to harsh music, such as heavy metal or hard rock. It could have the most benign message, but it’s probably not the go-to when you need soothing music to de-stress. (Well, relatively speaking, anyways.)
Conversely, if you listen to the sounds of nature, water trickling in a stream, birds singing in the mornings, the wind humming in the trees, you probably felt calmer just reading about those beautiful sounds. We’re meant to feel calm at hearing those sounds.
It has such power. If you’ve ever heard of the rice experiment, Dr. Emoto found that speaking negatively to cooked rice over 30 days yielded a rotting, molding mess. Conversely, speaking positively in a soothing voice yielded rice that didn’t rot and looked like you could almost eat it.
(There are quite a few other lessons to be gained from this experiment, as well. The “ignored” rice experienced silence, but it was a “negative silence” in that neglect is never good when it comes to the welfare of animals and plants.)
Getting Back to Silence
As I’ve been writing this blog post, I started out listening to a bit of soothing mantra music. When the soundtrack ended, I intentionally spent the rest of the time writing in silence.
I’m aware of crickets awakening in the evening golden hour and with the setting sun. I’m aware of our de-humidifier doing its job in our basement. The tapping of my fingers on the keyboard is the third sound I hear.
Silence was the norm on this planet for billions of years. It’s only in the past couple hundred years that noise pollution has existed all around. Out beyond the atmosphere, in space, in the universe, there is no sound. It is utter silence.
What if you worked in silence more often?
What would happen if you went about your day inviting as much silence into your awareness as possible?
On your morning commute, try keeping the radio off. Notice how you feel. It’ll probably be quite uncomfortable at first. Let yourself settle into it.
When you sweep your home, vacuum, do the dishes, fold the laundry, cook, or clean the bathroom, try turning off the music or the television.
Why Bother With Silence?
For so many reasons.
It is in silence that you begin to hear the little voice that lives inside. It’s the “real you.” Any noise will prevent you from hearing that soft, intuitive wisdom.
It returns you to a more human, more natural, more centered state. Because humans evolved in a silent world – except for the sound of their voices or tools, and the sounds of nature – silence can return all people to a time when they were more in tune with their inner selves, each other, and the planet.
You hear insights and messages from within. In the folding of a towel, you might just finally hear an answer emerge to the question that’s been on your mind.
For me personally, I’ve had so many insights burn themselves into my awareness and consciousness by honoring that silence.
Your health just might improve, too. That Harvard study above suggested that noise pollution could be one of those “hidden factors” that directly contributes to the worldwide epidemic of heart disease. Not only that, the silence is at once more calming and inviting than the mechanical sounds of modern life.
“Inviting silence into your life is like inviting a healing balm to soothe the heart, mind, and spirit.” -Cynthia Sageleaf
Inviting Silence Into Your Life
Western society doesn’t exactly embrace silence. But if you want to bring a sense of calmness to your own life, this is one great thing you can do for yourself.
Personally, I invite silence into my life through several avenues.
Meditation
The first is through meditation. Most mornings I use earplugs to block out the sounds of an awakening city. I hear the sound of my breath and sometimes the pulse of my heartbeat.
These are what I return to when my thoughts start swirling in my mind. (Yes, thoughts are a big part of meditation.)
Meditation invites you to settle in, to watch your thoughts, and try not to engage with them. Even for short amounts of time, the benefits are so numerous.
Just Be
Let yourself “just be.” Think about this: you’re sitting on your bed just staring out the window watching the world outside. You’re not doing anything. You’re just existing – silently – in that moment. Perhaps you feel a little bored. Your body, however, is getting a chance to just be. Not do.
When is the last time you did something like that?
Get Rid of the Alarm Clock
Get rid of alarm clocks, tech noises and the like from bedrooms. By now, you’ve heard how the blue light from LCD screens can disrupt sleep. Obviously their sounds can, too. Waking up to an alarm clock is one of the most stressful ways to wake up.
Most adults need about 8 hours of sleep. Try going to bed at a time when you know you’ll be undisturbed for about 8 hours and don’t set the alarm. Let yourself naturally wake up.
You’d be surprised at how the body knows how much rest it needs and will wake up naturally, according to the amount of sleep you need. This might not happen immediately, but in time, the body will get better and better at it.
The Body Will Adjust To Not Having an Alarm
If you have to get up at 5:30, head to bed by 9:30. Through the weeks and months, your body will respond naturally to waking and sleeping rhythms. If you’re really scared to do this, try it out when you don’t have to be somewhere and it doesn’t matter if you sleep longer than you mean to.
Something else you can do is set an alarm for after you think you will be awake – to allow yourself to wake up naturally. You can start your day without being jolted awake to a harsh sound.
I started doing this about a year ago. I couldn’t stand waking up to an alarm anymore – even a “calm-sounding” one. I started going to bed about 8 hours before I knew I needed to wake up.
In the early days, i’d sometimes sleep more than I meant to. A year later, I know that if I go to bed at 10 pm, I can count on waking up around 6 am. If I go to bed at midnight, I will wake up around 7:30 or 8 am.
Happy Labor Day, dear Cynthia.
Silence is admittedly difficult for me. When home, I do tend to talk less – as my job involves lots of talking.
I’m pretty hooked on music – all kinds for all feelings, moods and situations.
I totally agree with the noises of industry being stressful, toxic even. I learned about 20 years ago that I
didn’t need an alarm clock. I wake up every day with the sun, except for the rare days I am sick.
As I am on a ‘mind declutter’ jag, I am appreciative of your words of wisdom this morning.
Love you lots and enjoy a peaceful day, Maria
Sweet Mar – it was a wonderful Labor Day – low key and nice. 🙂 Got a lot of work done. As for silence, it sounds like you naturally have it as part of your life: talking less, doing the coloring that you do, and all the beautiful writing. I’d say that there are a lot of introspective things that you that invite silence. And I know you’re quite the music buff. I always enjoy your musical posts. And not needing an alarm clock is wonderful. Waking up with the sun is so glorious, no? And the birds. I love the sounds of the birds. 🙂 Thank you for coming by! Sending you big hugs! xo
I have to admit I actually love silence and many days I will intentionally work in slience as I really do find it more relaxing and peaceful. That said, I also ditched the alarm clock years back and I do for the most part always wake around the same or similar time daily. So, also agree that your body will adjust to this, too. Thanks for sharing and hoping you are starting this first week in September off on the best possible foot. Happy Monday and hugs my friend xoxo <3
Janine – that’s so awesome! I love working in silence, or occasionally having some nice, centering-type of music playing in the background. I find that so nice and calming. I love not having an alarm clock. Occasionally I’ll get my watch to wake me up (it’ll just gently vibrate on my arm) if I have to be somewhere and need to get going, but otherwise, I try to not have it. Love that you do that, too! Thank YOU for sharing and coming by and for being so awesome! Sending you big hugs and wishes for a wonderful weekend. 🙂 xo
Thank you for addressing the value of silence. For a long time now, I’ve driven in silence as much as possible. Teaching children involves a great deal of interaction each day, so my silent time in the car after school really is golden. The more I’ve tuned out extraneous noises in the car and at home, it has lowered my stress level, and has brought more peace to my life.
Wishing you peace and joy!
Kelly – Nice to see you here. 🙂 I so appreciate your comment and that’s so wonderful to hear that you do the “silence” thing. More and more, I’m driving to work in silence. Not always, but I definitely enjoy that time to either prepare for the day’s work ahead, or to wind down after a long day. I enjoy tuning out the extra noises and you’re right: it absolutely can help lower stress and bring more peace to our days. Wishing you peace and joy, as well. Thank you again for your comments. 🙂
I’m counter culture on this one Cynthia. I love silence and rarely have any music, no TV, or anything going, Just the sound of roommates feels intrusive for me. Work is a caucophony of noise that I wish I could silence. 🙂 I would be happy to be in silence most of the time!
Brad, my counter-culture friend! I love that! 🙂 I know you just exude a calmness and it’s part of the charm on your website, too. I can really see how you have incorporated it into your life. There’s a calmness there that pervades your awesome posts, stories, haikus and your approach to life. It’s refreshing. I’d have to work up to silence ALL the time, but I do appreciate it MOST of the time. Hehe. I think I’d really have to adjust my lifestyle: no washing machines (mine’s running right now), no dishwashers, no ringers on phones, no music, no humming refrigerators…those would be hard to eliminate. But well…at least those things are not that loud. Ha! Thanks for your insights, friend! I hope you have a great weekend.
If I might go in the opposite direction? lol*
Perhaps not as opposite as I might think, as one of the thoughts that come to mind has to do with how, back a long time ago, I would be standing in a nightclub listening to a band and experience a palpable sense of silence.
Of course, a live band, in a small space, creates remarkable volumes of noise/sound/music. A level of sound that you can feel. This memory includes the odd fact of finding an awareness of a silence within. (Sorta like standing with your back to a wind-driven rainstorm while wearing a raincoat with a hood. The barrier allows two very different states to co-exist.)
I totally agree with the beneficial effects of silence and the detrimental effect of certain sounds. Its interesting how difficult it is to listen to the natural sounds around us, sounds that do not have the artificial power of extra decibels.
(One thing I do, at this time of year, is kind of fun. There are routes I can take to work that entail country roads, little or no traffic. I open all the windows and the moonroof and drive slowly and try to ‘hear the woods’ that line the road. The cool thing is, if I quiet my own head, I can hear individual birds and/or insects. It usually makes me stop listening, ’cause my brain is yelling, ‘No way you should be able to hear an individual insect! You’re driving a car at 25 mph!’ lol
Enjoyable post and a valuable reminder for anyone wondering why it seems to take more energy to get the same things accomplished than it used to take.)
I know, what a surprise
Clark – your comment makes me smile! I love it! Just this week I was in a meeting with a lot of people and “turned inward” to find the silence. The noise out there was “canceled” by the calm within. I totally know what you mean. That awareness of silence within…yes! And that sounds like something Castaneda would say, too.
I have to compliment you on your writing – “how difficult it is to listen to the natural sounds around us, sounds that do not have the artificial power of extra decibels” – written like a writing master. And so true. All those extra decibels can be…jarring. I was sitting on the porch this morning sipping tea and an electricity transformer popped one street over. It’s a terrible sound – it sounds like a gunshot. I was listening to birds and cicadas and POP! lol. I smirked at the reminder that I live in the middle of town….
I don’t know. Maybe you CAN listen to an individual insect at 25mph. lol.
And yes…all that noise (of the artificial kind) can require more concentration and time just to get the same thing done. When will we ever learn? lol Thanks, Clark! Most insightful.
Can you hear Simon & Garfunkel singing in the distance? The Sounds of Silence…hello darkness my old friend. I have always been comfortable with silence, Lil Sis. It is my friend and I desperately need it for my sanity. Wrap me up in it, allow me to feel its comforts. I’m with you 100% on this one, my friend. I need people. I need the sounds of life around me. But I also need the protection silence and solitude give to me.
Hugs from Olympia!
Big Bro – you know, as I wrote, the thought DID cross my mind of saying hello to the darkness, who is my old friend. And listening to the sound of silence. lolol. I’ve been fairly comfortable with silence, given my introversion, but I still participate in way too much noise, I think. This post is also a reminder to me to not forget to embrace it and to feel its comforts. I also love the sounds of life – like you said: birds, ducks, water, bugs – yes, even bugs. LOL. And after an outing with a lot of people, I must have some recovery time. I was at a school event last evening until late and today I am moving rather slowly. Haha. It just occurred to me why, actually. Huh. Funny how that works. Sending hugs!
I love this post for so many reasons. As an INFJ I am NOT a fan of noise pollution at all and I’m constantly looking for ways to create more “blank space” and “white noise” into my days. A new morning routine I’m trying, consists of getting up by 5am so that I get a 7-min workout in and have time to sit quietly in the dark and meditate. I need this time before work to get centred and feel calm. We’ve also started not watching TV every night, which has been incredible. I didn’t even know how much time we wasted mindlessly zoning in for a few hours. Now we save that for Friday night binge-watching with pizza! Such a great post my friend and a good reminder of how important silence and space to just BE is for our health. Speaking of nature sounds… I can’t get enough of those mini nature meditations on Insight Timer, it’s like I’m right there sitting by the ocean or in a cabin with the rain. BLISS. Hugs to you, friend! xx
Melanie – sweet friend. Noise pollution – whew, right!? I do like white noise (I’m listening to a nature soundtrack as I write this) sometimes as I work…and then I’ll take a break and just work in silence. I love the way your morning routine sounds. A workout, centering – I love that. And not watching TV every night sounds like a great plan. I watch about an hour each evening, but generally with John and usually a documentary (though we’re loving this one series at the moment…it’s about to end, haha). Having that to look forward to on Friday sounds like a great way to reward yourself. And pizza with extra cheese sounds so good right about now. I might have to go to the store and get me a pie or two. Haha. Thank you for coming by and for even helping to remind ME of taking time to just BE. 🙂 I love those meditations on Insight Timer, too. Yes. BLISS. 🙂 Hugs right back atcha.
Oh you are a girl after my own heart.. I so enjoy Silence.. And these days we don’t even have the radio on if we are indoors.. I am very at home within my own company and silent mode.. 🙂
Though I do enjoy chants and meditation music.. And my drum…. 🙂 but at times I just need to hear the inner vibration of my own ears connecting their internal ‘hissing’ sound as I connect to the grid.. That is how I look at it..
I found what you had to say about our internal alarm clocks very true.. My husband has never needed an alarm.. He has an internal alarm system.. He says all he does he tells himself what time he wants to wake. And he does.. He is an early riser, and thinks nothing of getting up at 5-30am… And he is normally in bed by 9pm 🙂
So enjoyed this Cynthia.. and interesting facts about the study on noise pollution too..
Hope you are having a wonderful weekend my friend.. And so enjoyed your posts this morning..
Off to have a little lunch now..
Love and Hugs.. Sue <3
Sweet Sue! Oh, friend. So wonderful to see you. I knew you’d understand and even practice this. I enjoy my own company, too. LOL. And chants and meditation music. Hehe. And drumming. So incredible. So, so incredible. And I love “connecting to the grid.” That makes me smile.
That’s so neat about your husband. Never needed an alarm. He just says what time and then gets up at that time. So incredible. I do need to go to bed earlier so I can have enough time to do all that I need to in the morning before having to start my day but it’s true: 8 hours is ideal.
That study was interesting, no? I believe it was done in the UK somewhere, but I can’t quite remember where. But it’s fascinating. Another example of science meeting…spirit? hehe.
Sending you big hugs and I hope the rest of the weekend is blissful. xoxo
Science is slowly catching up. And seeing that we are Spirit, Energy and especially when we explore Quantum Physics .. Did you ever watch the video What the Bleep!?? 🙂 🙂
That rabbit hole just keeps getting wider and wider as we see we are connected to ALL.. <3
Sue – perhaps in the next century, science will get much closer to spirit. I’ll check out that video you suggested. I haven’t heard of it, but we did talk about quantum physics in our meditation training. Hmm…making a note to myself right now…in fact, I have Amazon Prime and just added it to my watchlist. Going to be watching that VERY SOON! 🙂 Thank you!!
Thanks Cynthia! I’m glad my blog reflects those aspects for you. I do love peace and quiet, but I still have (and dislike) the sounds of washers, dryers, fridge, and more. I would love for all them to be silent but I don’t know if I’m ready to give them up! Maybe if I was living out in the woods and didn’t have to go anywhere for work. 🙂
Brad – hehe. I’m definitely not and perhaps we don’t need to give anything up, so much as actually MAKE space for a little more “just being” in our lives. Thank you so much for your thoughts! What a fun conversation. 🙂