Home > News

We have busy lives that are filled with noise. This noise takes the form of audible noise as well as ‘busy waves’ that flood our senses. The hectic time schedules we keep, the daily stress levels, driving through early morning traffic, financial pressures – they all produce inner noise.

To start claiming back some of the peace we have lost in a hectic world we need to claim back some quiet time. These quiet times do not have to be structured with things such as specific types of meditation. They simply need to be times when we take ourselves out of the ‘noise’ and into the calm.

You deserve a timeout
Yes, life is busy, but try and get some quiet time at least four times a week over a 4-week period and see what a difference it makes. Choose a peaceful spot with very low or no noise levels. Get comfortable, sit or lie down and take your shoes off. Spend about 15 – 20 minutes in quiet time to start with. Begin by doing a few breathing exercises for a few minutes, focusing on gradually taking slower deeper breaths until things feel a little calmer and more relaxed. Focus on good sounds such as birds chirping, the wind through the leaves, water running; any peaceful sound that will replace the hectic noise of the day.

Try and focus on a peaceful scene or activity, now is not the time to get all irritated or upset about what happened earlier today, concentrate on something totally different. Mini breaks in routine during working hours have shown to reduce the incidence of headaches and migraines.

Quieting down is often not as simple as it sounds, we are not used to doing that regularly anymore. The first few sessions may feel like a failure or only a partial success. Stick with it and get the good vibe going again!

Music to my ears
One very effective way of reducing noise and one that is often a good first step is doing something you like. Often when people are asked what they enjoy doing most and how often they get the time to do it they realise that they never get around to “me time” anymore. Couples should help one another by taking over family responsibilities in order for the other partner to have a little quiet time. The introduction of quiet time as a positive and building exercise in small children and teenagers has shown to have tremendous effects on their emotions and inner peace.

Time spent in silent reflection with emphasis on relaxation have a structural effect on the brain. A study by Harvard Medical School in 2005 shows that a thickening of certain brain centres takes place with regular quiet times. The brain centers that are positively affected include centers for attention, working memory and sensory processing. Quiet time as a continuous practice strengthens parts of the brain that would normally decline with aging (report from the Society of Neuroscience).