Through my eyes

While the world is somehow withstanding the strain of megalomaniacs, corrupt politicians and the fly by night entrepreneurs, I sit back and listen to the soft voice inside my head telling me to block things out, to surrender to the chaos and just breath.breath deep.innnnnnnnanddddddoutttttttt

"Cultivating silence, increases your chances of encountering novel ideas and information and discerning weak signals."says Hal Gregersen. When we're constantly fixated on the verbal agenda - what to say next, what to write next, what to tweet next - it's tough to make room for truly different perspectives or radically new ideas.It's hard to drop into deeper modes of listening and attention.And it's in those deeper modes of attention that truly novel ideas are found.

But cultivating silenceisn't just about getting respite from the distractions of office chatter or tweets. Real sustained silence, the kind that facilitates clear and creative thinking, quiets inner chatter as well as outer.

Silence and solitude give us the spaceto think; act, and play "catch up" with our mind, andcan be very healthy for our physical and mental wellbeing.It's time to go to our quiet and peaceful place, and nourish our mind and body, so we can reap these five benefits, backed by science.

If you're like me, you've probably neverencountered real silence. Finding a place that remains sonically unmolested by the rumble of the traffic or the screech of that resident Hadeda Ibis that lives on your roof and announces his presence pre dawn. Whether you live in a city, the suburbs, or on a farm in northern Tugela, sound in the modern world is more or less inescapable.

Recent studies are showing that taking time for silence restores the nervous system, helps sustain energy, and conditions our minds to be more adaptive and responsive to the complex environments in which so many of us now live, work, and lead.

Duke Medical School's Imke Kirsterecently foundthatsilenceis associated withthe development of new cells in the hippocampus, the key brain region associated with learning and memory.

Physician Luciano Bernardifoundthat two-minutes ofsilenceinserted betweenmusical pieces proved more stabilizing to cardiovascular and respiratory systems than even themusic categorized as "relaxing."

And a 2013 study in theJournal of Environmental Psychology, based on a survey of 43,000 workers,concludedthat the disadvantages of noise and distraction associated with open plan offices, outweighed anticipated, but still unproven, benefits like increasing morale and productivity boosts from unplanned interactions.

Wherever we are, whatever we do we live in a loud world where television, music, and smartphones fill the void with white noise.Silence and solitude are broken bythe buzz oftechnology while wecall, text, and email tofeel less alone. However, how often do we take the time to sit and enjoy silence

I think its time to tune out, even if its ten minutes a day. To all my readers that are complaining about being rushed and stressed, too stressed to make time for what's important, "You", please switch off and tune in to the silence and let me know how it goes.