121535 Power of Silence EDITED
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[00:00:00] Today I'd like to talk about the power of silence. We live in a world that never stops making noise. I listen to a podcast on my commute. I listen to one in the shower. I talk to people on the phone when I'm walking, when I'm eating, when I'm, doing almost anything. And there's meetings between clinics, there's people in clinic, there's people after clinic.
There's a never ending scroll through my social media of people talking to me in their reels and in their stories. And every quiet time is filled with someone else's voice. And I started thinking, when was the last time I heard mine? So I really have always enjoyed continuous learning.
I listen to podcasts. I do all the things. I've got the TED talk and the research, and when it turned out I was listening to so much input that I couldn't actually take that and turn it back around, process it and figure out what to do with it, how to use it, how to improve [00:01:00] my work, my life, my relationships.
And it started feeling like I was wasting my time. And one day I realized on my drive to work, I could just listen to silence. I didn't have to hear what's happening in the world. I didn't have to listen to the newest song. I didn't have to learn about anything or be amused by anything. I could just entertain my own thoughts, and it was a game changer.
I didn't realize how little I was listening to myself. So that turning point really helped me get some silence and without. Any of the jibber jabber and the noise and the other things. I started thinking about a challenge that had been sitting unresolved in my brain, and all these answers started coming to me, and it wasn't from any particular podcast or book or conversation or social media reel.
TikTok did solve my world problems, although sometimes it does, but it made me understand. Oh, I literally said, oh, this is why I get some of my best ideas in the shower, because I think it was the only place [00:02:00] that I had silence and that I let my mind breathe. And so I started looking into this and I realized there's a science behind it.
It's not just the sensation I had. So I would tell you many people in my life would tell me, that's probably enough. You don't need the research. But I did the research and it's backed up by science. So when we step away from all this stimulation, our brain does not shut down. It reorganizes. It takes that information, it puts it together.
It makes new connections. Two hours of silence per day was shown to stimulate new growth in our hippocampus, which is the region, responsible for learning and memory. And then there's other research that says quiet reflection activates our brain's default mode network, which is the part that supports creativity, it supports insight, it helps us with problem solving.
It also has been shown to reduce stress, so it reduces cortisol levels. And it activates our parasympathetic nervous system, both of which make us feel calmer and more focused. And for physicians this matters, we spend our days [00:03:00] processing very complex data. We respond to needs of the people in our offices, of the patients that we work with, of the colleagues we're talking about, of the research subjects who need help of the learners who are trying to figure out what's happening.
We have to absorb this information from all those different directions, and that silence gives you a chance to integrate that information, to build new connections and to get that insight that you wanna be able to give back to the world. Here's what I think you should do, or at least what I've started to do, and I recommend it for others, is you don't need hours of meditation.
I can tell you I've tried that. I'm not very good even for 10 minutes, but do start small and make it intentional. This may be some quiet thinking time. It could be your commuting to work, could be going for a walk, it could be a quiet shower, whatever works for you. But leave your phone behind if you can.
Take a slow breath and observe what thoughts surface. And I have one more tip, which is to make sure you do it consistently. It matters more than the duration think about. A no headphone walk, just listen to [00:04:00] what's going on in the world. And soon you'll find yourself listening to your own thoughts.
That mild movement can also help your brain go into a wandering state and help you promote creativity. Now, the other thing is to replace one scroll with stillness. So when you reach for your phone, instead of, automatically going into whatever you like to scroll, consider.
Not. And if this is hard to do, there are apps that ask if you really mean to scroll or let you set a certain amount of time per day that you're gonna scroll. And we'll tell you, you only have five minutes left and they'll cut you off. So instead of that, maybe take a few breaths and ask, what do I actually need right now?
Am I looking for a dopamine hit? Can I get that in some other way? Am I just distracted? Am I bored? Then capture your insights. So one way to do this is in a notebook or in a voice recorder, or in the notes in your phone, whatever is a nice way for you to do it. If you review these on a regular basis, you start to see where you deserve your focus to go next, and then use silence strategically.[00:05:00]
And this is when we hear the other people, not just when you're by yourself or in the shower, but if you're in a high stakes negotiation, or you're in a presentation, take a pause. That moment of stillness, especially after you've asked for something in a negotiation, allow you to regulate your breathing and speak with greater presence.
And people really respect that and view it as confidence. If you're having a hard time figuring out how to do that and give it a couple seconds, focus on the sounds in the room. You don't have to look around like I just did 'cause that'll look a little weird. Or one thing I really like to do is to rub your fingertips together.
But don't just do it to rub it. I want you to feel the ridges of your fingers. At the same time, listen to the sound in the room. Give that a 10 seconds try. It feels long, right? But 10 seconds is not so long. And do that before answering a question, especially a hard or if you're not sure what's going on in negotiation, leave that silence out there till they say something and it can change how others perceive you pretty significantly in terms of their [00:06:00] impression of your confidence and your authority.
Now, one of my final thoughts is that silent isn't about nothing. It's about creating the space for your best thinking, for your creativity, for those thoughts to make new connections, and for you to have better ways of solving problems. So in the quiet, you could stop reacting and start listening to that voice that will help you learn what the next step is.
If you're ready to create more space for clarity and strategy, please join me in my newsletter at medicalmentorcoaching.com/contact, or if you're ready to work with me, we have our Reset and Refocus program. Please get in touch and book a call. Thanks.
