It’s 12 a.m. on a Tuesday night my sophomore year and I’m finally ready to go to sleep. But as I get in my bed and turn the lights off , I can only lie awake. My mind is racing and my eyes can’t stay shut, so I find the only thing that will distract me: my headphones.

This one-time occurrence soon became a necessary part of my bedtime routine, and before I knew it, I could never be alone with my thoughts. And it wasn’t just me. My friends shared a similar sentiment, many of them falling asleep to music, white noise, or even the fluorescent light of their TVs. Some people even go to extreme lengths to avoid silence. In fact, In a 2014 study conducted by Harvard University and the University of Virginia, 46 percent of participants self-administered an electric shock in favor of sitting in their own thoughts for six to 15 minutes.

By the end of my sophomore year, it was hard for me to walk through the halls without people to talk to, AirPods to listen to, or looking at my phone. I became so dependent on noise blocking my thoughts, it became hard to just be with my own thoughts at all.
However, the solitude and silence we are so afraid of can help us solve the same issue we’re running from.

In a 2020 experiment conducted by the American Psychological Association, researchers found that participants initially did not think they would enjoy sitting in silence, but their opinions changed significantly after the test. Silence promotes mindfulness, your ability to appreciate and actually be “in the moment”, according to Cleveland Clinic. This in turn can lead to lower blood pressure, decreased
heart rate, and reduced muscle tension.

As a senior, I haven’t slept with headphones in two years. I’ve started enjoying sitting by myself. I’ve found it has helped me relax, not only calming my mind, which constantly feels like it’s going twenty miles a minute, but also letting me process the events of the day. Whether it’s a five minute break from studying or a walk with my dogs, I’ve started to incorporate silence into my everyday life.

The next time you have some free time, take a few minutes to reflect on your day or mood. Turn off all of your screens, playlists,
or distractions. You might find yourself enjoying the silence.