Not only have most of us forgotten what quiet sounds like, many no longer desire it or even think it’s possible to enjoy. How often have you heard, or maybe even said yourself, something like, “I have to have music or the TV on” or “It’s just too quiet” or “I can’t sleep without noise”?

So many of us have become accustomed to life’s noises so much so that the idea of being alone with our own thoughts is undesirable at best and anxiety producing at worst.

Silence is Good for You

Yet, science backs the notion that silence is good for us.

  1. Silence relieves stress and tension.
  2. Silence replenishes our mental resources.
  3. Silence helps us tap into our brain’s default mode network.
  4. Silence can regenerate brain cells.

“In a loud and distracting world, finding pockets of stillness can benefit your brain and body.” (Why Silence is Good for Your Brain)

Saying “I can’t stand quiet” or some version of this only verifies that you’re suffering from this “modern plague.” The symptoms?

  • Constantly distracted
  • Mental fatigue
  • Struggle to focus
  • Struggle to solve problems
  • Struggle to come up with new ideas.

If you’re still not convinced you suffer from this malady, consider that Jesus regularly sought solitude.

“But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.” (Luke 5:16)

“The apostles gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught. And He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.’ (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves.” (Mark 6:30-32)

“It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.” (Luke 6:12)

“Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away. After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray.” (Mark 6:45-46)

If the Son of God needed peace and quiet, and he lived in a less noisy culture in many ways than we do, isn’t it likely we need peace and quiet too?