Silence is a spiritual discipline that doesn’t get talked about as often in our faith communities. When we think about silence, we often equate it with prayer or spending time in scripture. While these are also wonderful spiritual habits, they are different from actually sitting in silence. Being silent gives us the opportunity to listen for God. Sitting in silence gives us the opportunity to reflect more deeply on things like those who have sacrificed their lives for us. When we fill what we consider quiet time with more of our own words, or even with the reading of devotional material, we can miss a significant moment in which we intentionally allow everything to go quiet. 

Stand in silence in the presence of the Sovereign Lord.

Zephaniah 1:7

There is also something of a sacrifice built into silence, when we are willing to let go of the ongoing dialog in our minds, when we let go of external auditory outputs. It’s why when there are moments of silence at, say a sporting event, or graduation ceremony, you can feel the importance, the solemnity. And in our noisy world, times of intentional silence have grown increasingly rare.

 

Silence also carries with it fascinating health and wellness aspects. In particular, silence has a host of ways in which it nourishes us, body, mind, and soul. Groundbreaking research on neurology has shown that silence is the most impactful way to help build new neurons in the brain. Scientists working with mice subjects put them into two groups, one group which received auditory input and one which only experienced silence. The researchers were specifically looking at the hippocampus part of the brain, and what they found was surprising. It was the group of mice who only experienced silence who had the greatest new neuron development. 1

Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom.

Sir Francis Bacon

Silence is also a top regulator of cortisol and stress. And check this out; researchers discovered that a two-minute pause between music tracks lowered heart rate and blood pressure, which helped scientists realize that the removal of stimuli is a powerful way to reset the cardiac system. 2 If you’re an Altrua HealthShare Member, you have access to the HealthWallet app, which connects you to telecounseling. If you’re needing more resources and support for lowering your stress levels, you can make a virtual appointment today. (If you’re not yet a Member of Altrua HealthShare, where we care for one another by sharing in each other’s eligible medical needs, you can contact a Member Services Representative to learn more. Call 1-888-244-3839, Monday through Friday, during business hours).

For many of us, the Memorial Day weekend is when we welcome the coming of summer, a time for hot dogs and outdoor barbecues and warmer temperatures. School responsibilities are coming to an end. Graduations have been in full swing, and it’s a long weekend to take a break from all of the spring’s activities before hitting summer’s hot days. It also means that, sometimes, the purpose of Memorial Day weekend, the reason for it, gets lost in all of the activities.

One of the unique opportunities on Memorial Day weekend is to participate in the 3 p.m. (in your local time) moment of silence on Monday. This is known as the National Moment of Remembrance. It’s a chance to commemorate those who have laid down their lives to protect our freedoms here in the United States. It’s an opportunity to extend gratitude for their service and their sacrifice. 

So how can you get more silence in your life? Check out these simple ideas:

National Moment of Remembrance on Memorial Day: This is a beautiful way to honor our service members who have given it all. It’s a way to reinforce to your children, to your neighbors who are over for the neighborhood barbeque, the cost of freedom and the memory of those who have paid the price. You observe it by taking a time of silence at 3 pm in your local time zone.

🚗 Silent Commute: Of course you have your favorite podcasts and playlists to keep you company on the morning and evening drive time. But give this a try. Make a few of your commutes this upcoming week silent. Turn off the music, turn off the talk, and put your phone on Do Not Disturb. Even if it’s just for ten minutes, and then you turn on the auditory sources back on, that ten minute window could be just the thing to give your nervous system a break and have you more relaxed and focused.

☕ Take Five: Start the day with five minutes of quiet before you launch into the day’s activities. Even if you already have a ‘quiet time’ habit in the mornings with God, just take the first five minutes to be silent before Him. Your day will quickly be filled with the sounds of email and message chimes, various kids’ alarms going off, morning news, and all the rest. So take advantage of this small window of silence before life gets noisy.

The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silent before Him.

Habakkuk 2:20

🍽️ Silent Supper: Okay, your family might think you’re a little wacky for this one. But treat it as an adventure, something to try, and then talk about it afterward. Make one meal silent. Put down the phones, turn off notifications. Offer a silent prayer and then begin your meal. How does the food taste when you’re not distracted by conversation? How long does it take you to eat your meal? Does it feel awkward? Interesting? Once everyone has finished eating, begin a conversation about what you noticed. Sometimes, silence helps bring out the details we miss when there is talking, music, ambient sound all around us.

This Memorial Day, while you exercise your freedoms, take a pause to lose exercise silence in honor of those who have sacrificed to protect your freedoms. As Daniel Webster said, “Let their remembrance be as lasting as the land they honored.” 

 

🎖️And may God bless America.

 

1  Kirste, I., Nicola, Z., Kronenberg, G., Walker, T. L., Liu, R. C., & Fabel, K. (2015). Is silence golden? Effects of auditory stimuli and their absence on adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Brain Structure and Function, 220(2), 1221–1228. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-013-0677-9
2  Bernardi, L., Porta, C., & Sleight, P. (2006). Cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and respiratory changes induced by different types of music in musicians and non‐musicians: The importance of silence. Heart, 92(4), 445–452. https://doi.org/10.1136/hrt.2005.064600