You wake up one morning to complete silence. You can’t hear anything. There is nothing wrong with your hearing – instead, the world has fallen silent. You can’t even hear your own breathing. You step outside and you can’t hear the breeze in the air. This complete silence will last the rest of the day.
Some of you will panic at the thought of no noise.
Some of you will feel a sense of bliss.
After these initial reactions, how would you spend the rest of your day? What would you do to fill the day? Remember that nothing has changed except the lack of sound.
This was a question that was raised during a counselling course I am currently completing. Each and every person in the class had very different answers that gave some insight into their character.
For me, I would do the following:
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I would snuggle up to my partner, Alex.
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I would walk barefoot in the grass.
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Do some art work or something creative.
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Have a hot bubble bath.
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Relax and enjoy the silence.
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Daydream.
I found it interesting that the loss of sound drew me to activities requiring touch – almost as though the touch would provide the reassurance that had gone with the noise.
I also found it interesting that I would do things I want to do and enjoy doing, but which I never have the time to do.
From this, I could take away the intention to try and fit some of these activities into my everyday life NOW. Why does the world have to be silent for me to do those things I enjoy? How sad that so many of us are not doing those things that enhance our quality of life all because of the ‘noise’ in our lives – be that real noise or noise of the hustle and bustle of life and the pressures we place on ourselves.
For everyone in the class, a day of silence was associated with a day off work. This was even the case for people who don’t work with others or in jobs that require sound. This indicates just how noisy our lives have become and how this gets in the way of us living in the here and now, living in the PRESENT.
Imagine yourself waking up to silence. What would you do with your day? Please do share the insight this exercise provides you with. I think it is something we can all benefit from.
Categories: Personal/Professional Development
Mindfulness, Leadership and Ethics 
Mindfulness in Workplace 
The Challenges of a Freelance Career 
Balancing Job Demands and Resources 
Health Psychology Consultancy 
Too much quietness feels spooky for me. Even when I sleep, unless I’m really tired and sleepy, I play some smooth piano music or at least play environment sounds (like rain, sea shore…etc). In fact smooth classical music improves my creativity. I find it extremely uncomfortable to work in dead silence.