Does silence bother you?

Fabreo

In the below video Eckhart explains how the avoidance of silence can negatively effect your mental health, it's quite eye opening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9f7XY0FJlIa

Fr_Dougal

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wofias8

Ssshhhhhhh!

I like a bit of background sound. This is nice:

bodice ripper

Only when there is someone else there.

Awkward Badger

Avoid silence ? I sometimes wish I was deaf thinking how great it would be to live in constant peace and quiet.

I'm fine with silence. I really hate being around other people who can't bear silence though.

Awkward Badger

Fabreo wrote: »

Your video was fcuked btw, you just stick the entire link in there these days.

Aongus Von Bismarck

I work in the area of wealth management for High Net Worth individuals in Germany. The work can be very stressful and noisy at times.

That is why I run 8-10km every morning before breakfast. I find the exercise and silence that goes with it are extremely helpful for keeping me focussed during the day. I also practice mindfulness which is a great technique for organising your thoughts and reducing stress.

DLMA23

Silence can be transcendental...

First up early in the morning, sitting on the kitchen step, mug of freshly brewed Joe & a roll-up, watching the sun slowly rise...nirvana

Banjo String

Awkward Badger wrote: »

Avoid silence ? I sometimes wish I was deaf thinking how great it would be to live in constant peace and quiet.

I can't imagine going through life not being able to enjoy music, hear my kids laughing etc.

Being deaf would be shıte tbh.

Export

I can't stand silence. Until bed-time and then I can't stand noise!

The Backwards Man

Nothing better than lying in bed at night, and hearing absolutely nothing.

Banjo String

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

I work in the area of wealth management for High Net Worth individuals in Germany. The work can be very stressful and noisy at times.

That is why I run 8-10km every morning before breakfast. I find the exercise and silence that goes with it are extremely helpful for keeping me focussed during the day. I also practice mindfulness which is a great technique for organising your thoughts and reducing stress.

What does that involve?

Awkward Badger

Banjo String wrote: »

I can't imagine going through life not being able to enjoy music, hear my kids laughing etc.

Being deaf would be shıte tbh.

Yeah I wasn't actually seriously saying being deaf would be great or anything. I'm just saying I really like peace and quiet.

Pumpkinseeds

I'm not sure I even remember what real silence is, it's so long since I've had any peace and quiet.

Aongus Von Bismarck

Banjo String wrote: »

What does that involve?

Its a complex concept to explain in an internet forum post.

I suggest reading the works of Thích Nhất Hạnh, Jon Kabat-Zinn or Bhante Henepola Gunaratana if you wish to learn more about the topic.

The person in the OPs video, Eckhart Tolle has also wrote about it.

The Purveyor of Truth

The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls and whispered in the sound of silence.

What the fcuk was Paul Simon smoking.

SpaceTime

I have tinnitus due to an ear operation so I absolutely hate silence because all I hear is a noise like Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

It's like the noise a faulty mobile charger makes or an old CRT television tube only louder and it hasn't stopped for 9 years.

Kinda like slight microphone feedback crossed with the RTE off air test tone you used to hear years ago.

So basically I sleep with soft music on or a desk fan, I wear headphones and leave an iPod running if I'm in silent places like libraries etc etc

When I was younger the noise used to give me nightmares and stuff but you just learn to ignore it.

Silence just makes me notice it so, I really don't like being in silent places.

So basically, I hate silence.

The Purveyor of Truth

SpaceTime wrote: »

I have tinnitus due to an ear operation so I absolutely hate silence because all I hear is a noise like Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

It's like the noise a faulty mobile charger makes or an old CRT television tube only louder and it hasn't stopped for 9 years.

Kinda like slight microphone feedback crossed with the RTE off air test tone you used to hear years ago.

So basically I sleep with soft music on or a desk fan, I wear headphones and leave an iPod running if I'm in silent places like libraries etc etc

When I was younger the noise used to give me nightmares and stuff but you just learn to ignore it.

Silence just makes me notice it so, I really don't like being in silent places.

So basically, I hate silence.

If you're ever out in Dunboyne and driving by Sean Boylan's mini mansion, take a look at his driveway and how well laid and designed it is. The contractor that did that work, had been suffering from Tinnitus for over twenty years and had spent a fortune seeing doctors and alternative practitioners all over the world trying to get help with it but couldn't, until he saw Boylan and took whatever it was that he gave him and so did the work as a gift to him as he said his life was ruined by the condition and couldn't enjoy much because of it, it was that bad. Boylan has somewhat of a herbal plantation out there so no idea what that herb was.

Lia_lia

I love silence. I could easily sit at home all day without listening to music/TV/whatever. And that is what I usually do. My boyfriend always seems to have to have something playing on the computer/TV. If something is too loud it does my head in.

I work in a big multinational sales environment so you can imagine how noisy it gets. Although luckily my department wouldn't be as noisy as the rest of the place.

mad muffin

NO. I DO NOT LIKE SILENCE!! I MAKE SURE THAT NO ONE AROUND ME IS EVER IN SILENCE!!

whirlpool

IMO:

Silence is the absence of thoughts in your mind. If noise/silence bothers you, then it's because of the thoughts created by your mind in response to the noise/silence.

I can be surrounded by noise and feel at total peace. (and I can be surrounded by silence and feel totally unnerved.) Meditation and mindfulness have really helped me in that regard, as noise used to really bother me.

If noise/silence bothers you, start meditating / get mindful. It'll make you invincible regardless of what's going on / what's not going on around you.

whirlpool

SpaceTime wrote: »

I have tinnitus due to an ear operation so I absolutely hate silence because all I hear is a noise like Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Jayyysus. That'd be one of my worst nightmares.

gugleguy

No.:cool:

Davarus Walrus

I practice mindfulness for about 30 minutes a day. Body scans, mindfulness of breathing, mindfulness of eating. Becomes really easy after a while. It's even just about being able to sit down for 10 minutes and focus on the present, without feeling the urge to check twitter or play a game of Candy Crush.

Ditch

I've had Tinnitus, in my right ear, for about thirty years now. I have a sound like a DC10 taxiing. For Ever! It also means I'm deaf as a post, in that ear. I'm also about 85% deaf in the other ear (Eh? What?!?)

Doesn't matter. I'm happy person And, yes, I Do like the relative 'silence' I'm able to attain. Just me and the DC10 is grand. I don't crave extraneous background noises.

solomafioso

*bzzzzzzzzzzzt* AAAAAAAAAAGH!

Simonigs1.0

Bother me? Sometimes I strive to achieve silence.

monflat

God I love silence.

Nothing like it.
It' takes on a different meaning when children are in the equation
.
I appreciate it more now than ever!!!!

Simonigs1.0

monflat wrote: »

God I love silence.

Nothing like it.
It' takes on a different meaning when children are in the equation
.
I appreciate it more now than ever!!!!

I suppose too much silence when children are about can be a bad thing too!

DLMA23

Only awkward silences after an oikish faux pas

my teapot is orange

I reading an article recently on how the idea of "good manners" changes with generations and how younger people find it particularly rude to leave a silence when in the company of others. Now I wouldn't do this if we had nothing else going on, I would make conversation. However, I believe that many of my workmates think you should chat all the time even when you are trying to work. I wouldn't describe my job as particularly difficult, but you do have to watch little details, so you need to shut up and concentrate to do it properly. I was nearly driven crackers at work yesterday evening, having to listen to the "banter" continuously and being expected to join in for half a shift.

diveout

I'd like a reverse hearing aid.

The worst silence is the one that ensues when I ask a really stupid/obvious question and my supervisor looks at me fondly, like I'm a slow but beloved child.

Then he starts to explain my mistakes, in his extra-patient voice, with his kindly smile saying what his lips never would - 'Poor Candie, she's thick as a plank'

SpaceTime

whirlpool wrote: »

Jayyysus. That'd be one of my worst nightmares.

You get used to it.
It's a handy reference tone for tuning guitars

DrGreenthumb

I quite like it

Means Of Escape

Evolution has made us uncomfortable with silence
Our cave dwelling ancestors deemed that silence was a sign that a predator was close by.

SpaceTime

The world isn't silent either. There's always something making noise. Birds tweeting, leaves rustling, rivers flowing, people talking, animals making noise, wind blowing, rain falling you name it..

Mountainsandh

Yeah but the above are nicer than traffic, or the worst thing ever : loud music in shops and public places.
Hate the ads on the radio too, there's a ridiculous number of ads with actual deliberate background noise like sirens, electric guitars, or car sounds, that drives me mental, defeats the purpose as I usually mute the bloody thing for the duration of the ad.
My tv spends 50% of the time on mute for same reason.

Love silence. I'm in a really remote place, and at night it is gorgeous, although you do get the odd fox bark or cow moos, they're no bother. It's pure enjoyment.

Like others I have a pretty noisy work environment.

The Diabolical Monocle

Means Of Escape wrote: »

Evolution has made us uncomfortable with silence
Our cave dwelling ancestors deemed that silence was a sign that a predator was close by.

At this stage evolution gets the praise/blame for everything.

We dont like being caught in traffic on the way to work in the morning cause red lights are like the red color on the back of snakeus venemous.

And being in one place for a duration at the time of the morning equates with being in the middle of an unsuccessful hunt in caveman times.

We like popping bubble wrap because it relates to the sound of firewood popping back in our cavemen days.

We like people to close the fvcking door because in our cavemen days an open entrance was likely to lead to a wild animals wandering in.

The Backwards Man

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Nothing better than lying in bed at night, and hearing absolutely nothing.

Couldn't sleep like that.. I need a fan or rain to sleep.

Pat Mustard

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

I work in the area of wealth management for High Net Worth individuals in Germany

Germany, you say?

Ave Sodalis

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

Its a complex concept to explain in an internet forum post.

I suggest reading the works of Thích Nhất Hạnh, Jon Kabat-Zinn or Bhante Henepola Gunaratana if you wish to learn more about the topic.

The person in the OPs video, Eckhart Tolle has also wrote about it.

Ah no, it's not that complicated. Mindfulness is like another word for awareness. In simple terms, it's living in the present. You know there's a past and you've learned from it but now you don't dwell in it. You know there's a present and that whatever will happen, will happen then. Your attention is on right now and everything that it happening right now, both inside your body and the world around you. It's decluttering your head so that you're no bogged down on unimportant things like what happened a minute ago, or what's going to happen in a minute. You can't change the past and the future hasn't happened yet, so neither are worth focus. What's happening right now, in you (your emotions and so on) and the world around you.
The Peaceful Warrior puts it nicely.

It's not just about being present, but also about separating your thoughts and emotions from yourself. They're something separate to you and should be viewed as such. It's like watching them from third person, allowing your emotions and thoughts to be there but then letting them slide away before they become part of you. Take for example anger. A negative emotion is usually easier than a positive. You get angry. That's okay. You say to yourself "okay, I'm angry right now. The response I have to this moment is anger" and then you just, let it go. Let it fade back again.

Now obviously, mindfulness is not something that you wake up tomorrow and decide you're mindful. It takes practice using meditation and other techniques, and what I wrote there is a fairly simplified version of things but you get the idea. It's hugely beneficial and worth learning.

Also, with regard to the OP... I love silence, and being on my own. If I spent the majority of my life in silence, I'd be perfectly content.

lazeedaisy

I love the sound of silence, always been first up, sitting in garden watching chickens, dogs, nature in general, and have always been happy with my own company in that I don't need white noise, I.e. radio or TV.

Himself is not such a fan, has to have background noise and has had to learn to accept silence, not an easy thing to do,

But then when I am out throwing frisbee with dogs barking & proud hens clucking it does make me feel good.

SpaceTime

This is basically what I hear 24/7/365 for 9 years so far (in one ear only)

The hearing is perfect other than that. It's just 'mixed' into the background at relatively low volume but always noticeable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HIfqyHbKgY

It's very annoying sometimes but there's nothing that can be done to fix it so there's very little point in being annoyed.
Sometimes I can't sleep because of it though or it will actually wake me up.

I had an ear drum repaired (tympanoplasty) that involved drilling my ear canal to widen it to gain a full view of the edge of my ear drum to place a graft. While it worked perfectly and I can hear pretty much normally with that ear, I've had that tone continuously ever since.

It's probably due to physical or auditory trauma to my middle ear and inner ear during all that reconstruction work.

Silence would be nice but I guess I'm used to it at this stage.

It does stress me out though at times. If it's bad I can be very irritable or will put on loud music to drown it out.

Roastlamb

Banjo String wrote: »

What does that involve?

Essentially it is bringing your focus of attention to a perspective whereby you are the viewer of the thoughts, emotions and sense perceptions moving through your body. You don't identify with your past or anything in the physical world. You see yourself as the same awareness that is inhabits all human beings. Your body is merely a vessel which your awareness resides in, it isn't "you".

Ditch

SpaceTime wrote: »

This is basically what I hear 24/7/365 for 9 years so far (in one ear only)

That's f**king great. I was sat here, listening to Tinnitii, in Stereo!

Now I've switched the vid' off, I think my own Tinnitus is lonely. It seems to be Screaming for its new found friend back!

Maybe there's a lesson for us sufferers there; We really shouldn't let ourselves be around Other high pitched sounds? I seriously swear mine has leapt in volume since I listened to that

Fascinating.

SpaceTime

Ditch wrote: »

That's f**king great. I was sat here, listening to Tinnitii, in Stereo!

Now I've switched the vid' off, I think my own Tinnitus is lonely. It seems to be Screaming for its new found friend back!

Maybe there's a lesson for us sufferers there; We really shouldn't let ourselves be around Other high pitched sounds? I seriously swear mine has leapt in volume since I listened to that

Fascinating.

That's only because you're focused on it.

Listen to something else and forget about it and you'll be grand :P

Your auditory system isn't really just like listening through a microphone, it's an active system so it can focus on particular sounds and filter other ones. You've just listened to that sound carefully so you're noticing your own hearing system's glitch.

Try something with lower tones instead.

Hearing tests usually do that to me as I'm tuning into little faint squeaks instead of just listening to normal background noise.

Corkgirl210

Silence is great for meditation & relaxation... However all in context... Silence can be violence too

Vincent Vega

Om