In this day and age, it’s easy to be consumed by distractions; from TikTok, YouTube and Instagram to tv, gossip and drama, it seems everywhere we look there is something to distract us. From the moment our alarms go off, our days are filled with noise. We play music while we get ready for the day and watch videos or tv to pass the time. It’s becoming more and more common to have background noise, like playing a movie or turning on the radio while we’re working on something, just for the noise and distraction. It seems that for some reason or another, we’re constantly trying to fill the silence in our lives.

There is something powerful in quieting the mind and being in a state of silence, but silence has become uncomfortable for many of us. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why people have such a difficult time meditating. The silence is unfamiliar so they tend to shy away from it. But why is that?

When you quiet down your mind and find yourself in a space of silence, there are no thoughts, emotions, or ego, and that can be scary. Maybe we’re afraid of losing our sense of self, so we fill our days with distractions and our mind with thoughts, never allowing silence to enter. This way we won’t lose control over our sense of self. This way we won’t be uncomfortable.

Silence is scary

When you are in a space of silence, you put yourself in the most vulnerable state you possibly can. You break down your strong walls and you allow yourself to be vulnerable with yourself. A lot of things come up in the silence. Some things are nice, like forgotten, happy memories or feelings of joy and contentment. Others, not so much; for example, feelings of regret, shame and fear as well as many other things you may have tried to hide and bury deep within you can come crashing to the surface.

Maybe that’s why we distract ourselves. If we aren’t focused on ourselves, our inner selves, we don’t have to unwrap and experience all our negative thoughts and feelings.

The problem is, there are also a lot of positive things within us which can help us to learn, grow and expand our views on life, but we’ll never find them if we don’t go searching.

There are a lot of reasons why you might be uncomfortable or even afraid of silence.

You don’t know who you are

This can be the case for many people. They’ve created a character or an image that they present out into the world. This could have been done for many reasons, maybe they were trying to fit in when they were young and changed themselves in order to be accepted; or maybe they were taught to behave a certain way and were never allowed to discover who they truly were.

For whatever reason they just don’t know who they truly are. Not knowing yourself can be scary, but sometimes knowing yourself can be even scarier. This is because going deep within yourself forces you to face beliefs and thought patterns which you may have subconsciously created in order to protect yourself from negative feelings, almost like a sort of protective barrier to shield you from emotional harm.

By going within, you may have to confront these not-so-fun subconscious beliefs about yourself and the world around you, which can be quite intimidating and unsettling, but knowing who you are is a powerful tool.

When you know who you are, you also know who you aren’t, and you’re able to release that image of yourself and allow the real you to shine.

You’re afraid of what you might find

Everyone has negative emotions or things they wished they could have done differently. Whether it’s guilt, grief, shame, insecurities, anger or fear, these feelings aren’t all that pleasant, and sometimes we can bury them way deep down within us so we don’t have to deal with them.

Finding stillness and quieting your mind can often open these doors and all the things you’ve been trying to bury can come crashing down like a tidal wave. It can be uncomfortable and unpleasant, but the longer you push these feelings down, the more they build up until they eventually come bursting out anyway. It may be better to deal with them while you’re in control, instead of waiting until you’re not.

There are many techniques to help you overcome this uncomfortable period. For example, meditation, journaling, or maybe just having a chat with someone you can trust can all help you to find comfort in the uncomfortable. Experiment and find which ways work the best for you. It may be difficult at the time, but it’s important to remember that there’s always a bright and shining sun on the other side of a dark cloud.

You’re just not used to it.

Sometimes, fear of silence is learned. In a world that’s loud and noisy, we’ve never learned the importance of silence, and most of us have never really had the chance to experience and learn from it. We’ve grown up around so much noise and distractions that even just the thought of silence is uncomfortable for many of us.

It takes time and effort to overcome these feelings of unease, but once you do, you’ll find yourself going deeper and deeper within and discovering new and exciting things along the way.

Once you begin to place yourself in a space of stillness, it becomes more familiar. The more you practice, the better you’ll become at embracing and learning from the silence.

Silence is good for you

Question is, if silence is so uncomfortable, why should we go seeking for it? Silence is good for us, even if we don’t see it at first. When you’re in a space of silence and you allow yourself to slow down, you notice more, feel more and are more aware of the life around you.

• Silence brings our attention to the present moment. It allows us to feel and experience life fully without being distracted.
• Silence allows us to figure out who we truly are. Many people go through their whole lives not knowing who they are. Scary, right? They create an image of themselves, for whatever reason, that doesn’t truly align with who they are deep down inside. They might be afraid to show their weirdness, quirks and brightness, so they prefer to hide and dim their light and pretend to be someone they’re not. Silence allows us a way to figure out who we are and helps us to align and learn to embrace that person fully.
• Silence helps us to fully embrace who we are. Sometimes, we do know who we are, and we don’t like it. We may pretend to be someone else in order to hide these dark and ugly parts of ourselves, but eventually they rise to the surface. With the good, the bad and the ugly, silence offers us a way to embrace every part of ourselves.

• Silence helps us to feel connected. Funny enough, no matter how much time you spend on TikTok, Instagram or watching the news, you’ll never feel truly connected. Connection comes from within, when you are able to be in the flow of life and fully feel yourself as a part of it, then, you become connected. You may discover a sense of connection that you may not have even thought possible.
• When we have inner silence, we respond rather than react. When you are able to sit in silence, you begin to cultivate inner silence and stillness. When this happens, you become more aware of yourself and your surroundings. When placed in a difficult situation, it becomes easier to approach it with a calm attitude. You carefully and thoughtfully respond rather than rashly react and lash out.
• Silence allows you to be vulnerable with yourself and others. When you are honest with yourself, you find it easier to be honest with others. This can help to cultivate more long-lasting relationships.

Make time for silence

Making time for silence can happen in many ways. You can carve out some time through meditation, yoga or even just by being mindful during your day-to-day activities. By connecting with yourself and allowing yourself time away from distractions, you are able to find a deeper connection with yourself and with the world around you.

Being mindful of the world around you doesn’t have to be complicated and difficult. Simply enjoy the silence, notice your breath and see where it takes you from there.