In a world where phones now take precedence over most necessities, silence lies at the bottom of this heap, almost forgotten and rendered unimportant.
The first step we take in our morning routine, nine times out of ten, is not to enjoy that serene silence of the early hours but to shove a tiny screen into our hand and feed mindless content into our brains. Superficial concerns about celebrity gossip, the newest trends, memes, and what your body should look like infiltrate our minds and push peace out the window before the day has even started.
Yet, the clock keeps ticking and the day moves along. We leave our homes and get out into the public. Cars, music, chatter, and noise, noise, noise. Any remnants of hope that maybe, just maybe, silence will be found in the bustling city are foolish.
Then, you try to study, maybe go to a cafe and grab a coffee. You sit down to begin, take a breath, and when the silence finally rears its head, suddenly, the noise is back. Maybe it’s a baby crying, maybe it’s a group of teens, but the silence disappears once more.
Hours pass, work finishes, and you get into the car, train, or bus with more noise, maybe muffled slightly but still present. You open the door to your home and at last, find tranquillity.
You close the door and relish in this newfound peace, going about your routine. You relax, close your eyes and- ding! That familiar glass rectangle lights up on your counter. You ignore it, let it go and before you can think again, ding! God, it's persistent, isn’t it? Ding! Okay, I’m going! You pick it up, a call from your best friend. You answer, and that silence flees when her voice floods the room, rambling about this event that just occurred.
Curious, you listen and respond, and minutes turn to hours, and before you know it, 11:00pm. You hang up, bid farewell, and you’re left with your head spinning, thoughts in a heap. You head to bed to get sleep, and it seems an impossible feat.
After tossing and turning, you fall into a fitful sleep, and this cycle continues. It goes on, and on until one day you realise, I can do something! So you power off your phone and plot how to regain your silence.
You set boundaries, schedule time for silence, and maybe start meditating. Slowly, that sought-after silence creeps back into your life, without you even realising. Although it feels a little odd at first, you ease into it.
A simple routine that prioritises you, your mental health and well-being, and peace. It is so simple to get silence back. Without it, your brain can become overwhelmed, your social battery dies out, and you don’t feel like yourself.
On the other hand, noise can be good, but we need a balance. Just take one minute for yourself today, no distractions or noise, breathe, and just exist in this world.
