The Danger of Constant Noise

Sometimes we need a little space from all the input to notice what’s happening within us.

When was the last time you did absolutely nothing while you waited?

No phone.

No television playing in the background.

No podcast in your ears.

No scrolling while the microwave counted down.

No checking messages at a red light.

Just...waiting.

For many of us, those little empty spaces don't stay empty for very long.

We fill them.

We listen to something while we drive.

We put something on while we cook.

We scroll while we wait.

We check notifications during commercials.

We listen to podcasts while we clean.

We reach for our phones when we're bored, uncomfortable, curious, lonely, or simply unsure what else to do with the next five minutes.

And none of those things are inherently bad.

Music can make an ordinary drive wonderful.

Podcasts can teach us things we never knew.

Television can help us unwind.

Social media can connect us.

Conversations can make us feel less alone.

Noise isn't the enemy.

But when nearly every available moment contains some kind of input, we may want to ask ourselves what isn't getting much room anymore.

Because sometimes we need a little space to hear ourselves think.

The problem isn't that our lives contain noise. It's that sometimes we never give the noise a chance to stop.

Not All Noise Makes a Sound

When we think about noise, we usually think about things we can hear.

But there are other kinds of noise competing for our attention.

Notifications.

News headlines.

Social media.

Emails.

Other people's opinions.

Advice we didn't ask for.

Advice we did ask for.

Expectations.

Advertisements.

Trends.

Work.

Schedules.

Comparison.

The endless stream of information available every time we pick up our phones.

And sometimes the noise is coming from inside us.

What if I had done this differently?

What did they mean by that?

What am I going to do tomorrow?

Did I make the right decision?

What if this happens?

Should I have said something?

Our minds can become noisy places even when the room around us is completely silent.

That's one reason this isn't an argument for turning off your phone and sitting in a perfectly quiet room.

Physical silence and mental space aren't always the same thing.

You can be sitting somewhere completely silent while your thoughts are racing in a dozen directions.

And you can be sitting in a busy coffee shop while quietly working something out in your own mind.

What matters is whether there is ever enough space between all that input for you to notice what's happening inside you.

Not all noise is loud. Sometimes it’s simply the steady stream of information asking for our attention.

We Have Become Very Good at Filling Empty Space

Think about how many moments throughout the day once required us to simply wait.

Standing in line.

Sitting in a waiting room.

Riding in the passenger seat.

Waiting for someone to arrive.

Eating alone.

Walking somewhere.

Lying in bed before falling asleep.

Being bored.

Now, we can fill almost every one of those moments instantly.

There is always another video.

Another article.

Another episode.

Another notification.

Another conversation.

Another opinion.

Another thing to learn.

Another thing to look at.

Another thing asking for our attention.

We have access to more information, entertainment, and connection than people throughout most of human history could have imagined.

That's extraordinary.

But access to something doesn't mean we need to consume it every available second.

In We've Been Taught How to Consume—Not How to Discern, we talk about learning to become more intentional about what we allow into our minds and lives.

Constant noise adds another layer to that conversation.

Sometimes discernment isn't only about deciding whether something deserves our attention.

Sometimes it's noticing that our attention doesn't always need to be occupied at all.

Not every empty moment needs to be filled.

Silence Gives Your Thoughts Somewhere to Go

Something interesting can happen when the input stops.

Your mind keeps going.

You remember something.

You make a connection.

You replay part of a conversation and suddenly understand why it bothered you.

You realize you've changed your mind about something.

An idea appears.

A question surfaces.

You notice a feeling you've been pushing aside.

Or an answer to something you've been wrestling with suddenly seems to arrive out of nowhere.

I've had this happen more than once.

I'll have something difficult I've been trying to figure out, and I won't necessarily find the answer while I'm actively searching for it.

Then sometime later, when I'm not forcing it, there it is.

The answer.

Or at least a piece of it.

That doesn't mean silence magically solves our problems.

Sometimes nothing profound happens at all.

Sometimes silence simply gives us peace and quiet.

That's valuable too.

We don't have to turn every quiet moment into another self-improvement exercise.

You don't need to meditate.

You don't need to journal.

You don't need to analyze yourself.

You don't need to solve anything.

Sometimes you can simply let your mind have somewhere to wander.

Silence doesn't always give us answers. Sometimes it simply gives our thoughts somewhere to go.

Sometimes doing nothing gives our thoughts the space to wander somewhere unexpected.

Boredom Isn't Necessarily Something to Fix

We don't give boredom much credit.

Usually, the second boredom appears, we try to get rid of it.

But boredom can be a little like a blank canvas.

Nothing has been put on it yet.

So what do you do?

Maybe you make something.

Maybe you start wondering about something.

Maybe you notice something you've never paid attention to before.

Maybe curiosity sends you down a completely unexpected path and you learn something new.

Maybe your imagination takes over.

Maybe you finally tackle something you've been meaning to do.

Or maybe you just sit there for a while.

When we immediately eliminate boredom, we may also eliminate some of the possibilities that come after it.

This matters for creativity too.

When we're constantly looking at what everyone else is making, saying, accomplishing, buying, wearing, decorating, writing, or building, our own ideas have a lot of competition.

As we explored when talking about how comparison can quietly interfere with creativity (as discussed in Why Comparison Kills Creativity), sometimes our own voice needs enough room to develop before we start measuring it against everyone else's.

Boredom can provide some of that room.

Not because boredom automatically makes us creative.

But because a blank canvas gives us the opportunity to decide what we want to put on it.

Other People's Voices Can Get Mixed Up With Our Own

There is another reason quiet matters.

We are influenced by other people far more often than we probably realize.

That's not a character flaw.

It's part of being human.

We learn from each other.

We watch each other.

We imitate each other.

We listen to people we trust.

We absorb the expectations of our families, communities, workplaces, cultures, and social circles.

And now we can hear thousands of additional voices online.

Eventually, it can become difficult to tell where one voice ends and another begins.

Do I actually want this?

Or have I seen it so many times that it started to feel like something I'm supposed to want?

Do I believe this?

Or did someone I respect say it confidently enough that I never really examined it?

Is this how I want to live?

Or is this simply what I've been shown over and over again?

That's part of why we can follow people without even realizing we're doing it, which we talk more about in Why We Follow People Without Realizing It.

Influence doesn't always announce itself.

Sometimes it simply becomes familiar.

And familiarity can start feeling like truth.

Quiet won't automatically untangle all of that.

But occasionally stepping away from additional input gives us a chance to examine what is already there.

If we're always listening to everyone else, it can become harder to recognize which thoughts are actually our own.

Other perspectives can help us see things differently, but we still need room to decide what we think for ourselves.

Sometimes We Don't Want Things to Get Quiet

There's another side of this conversation that deserves some honesty.

Sometimes we fill the silence because we don't want to hear what might show up in it.

A quiet drive gives us time to think about the conversation we've been avoiding.

Putting the phone down might leave us sitting with loneliness.

Turning off the television might make us notice how exhausted we are.

Stopping long enough to think might bring us face-to-face with a decision we've been postponing.

So we keep something playing.

Keep scrolling.

Keep talking.

Keep moving.

Sometimes intentionally.

Sometimes without realizing we're doing it.

That doesn't mean every person who enjoys background noise is avoiding themselves.

Sometimes you just like having music on while you cook.

But if you notice that quiet makes you immediately reach for something to fill it, it might be worth becoming curious about that reaction.

Not judgmental.

Curious.

What am I looking for right now?

Entertainment?

Connection?

Comfort?

Distraction?

Information?

Or am I trying not to sit with something?

You don't have to force yourself into silence to prove anything.

Just noticing the pattern can tell you something.

Thinking Something Through Isn't the Same as Overthinking It

There's an important caution here.

More time alone with your thoughts doesn't automatically mean clearer thinking.

Sometimes reflection helps us understand something.

And sometimes we go around the same mental track fifty times.

We replay the conversation.

Imagine every possible outcome.

Question our decision.

Then question why we're questioning the decision.

Then decide we've figured it out.

Then start questioning it again.

That's not necessarily discernment.

It's one reason learning how to tell those internal signals apart can matter, something we explore more deeply in The Difference Between Intuition, Fear, Anxiety, and Discernment.

Reflection tends to help us examine something.

Overthinking often keeps us trapped inside it.

The distinction isn't always obvious, and there isn't a perfect formula for knowing which one you're doing.

But one useful question is:

Am I discovering anything new, or am I repeating the same thoughts?

Sometimes you've thought something through as far as you reasonably can.

You may never reach complete certainty.

At some point, discernment can also mean recognizing that you have enough information to make a decision and take the next step. We explore that more deeply in Discernment Isn't Certainty: Learning When You Know Enough to Move Forward.

Thinking something through can create clarity. Thinking it in circles doesn't necessarily create more truth.

There’s a difference between giving something time to process and getting caught in the same thoughts again and again.

Silence Matters for Children Too

Adults aren't the only ones living with nearly endless opportunities for stimulation.

Children are too.

There is always something available to watch, play, hear, or interact with.

And sometimes boredom produces the familiar declaration:

"There's nothing to do."

But maybe that's not always a problem we need to solve immediately.

Because after there's nothing to do sometimes comes:

I'll build something.

I'll draw something.

I'll go outside.

I'll invent a game.

I'll look something up.

I'll ask a question.

I'll figure something out.

Children need entertainment, connection, learning, and play.

But they may also benefit from opportunities where someone else hasn't already decided what will occupy their attention.

Sometimes imagination begins with an empty space.

Discernment Can Happen in the Middle of Noise

This is important.

You do not need perfect silence to practice discernment.

Life doesn't work that way.

Sometimes important decisions have to be made in busy rooms.

Sometimes you have to recognize a problem while everything around you is chaotic.

Sometimes you have thirty seconds to decide what you think.

Sometimes you can't walk away.

Sometimes quiet simply isn't available.

Discernment is something we can practice wherever we are.

As we explored in Discernment: The Skill That Quietly Changes Your Entire Life, it is about learning to pause, notice, question, and choose more intentionally.

Quiet can support that.

It isn't a prerequisite for it.

There is a difference.

The goal isn't to create perfect conditions before trusting yourself.

It's to recognize that when you do have opportunities to reduce unnecessary noise, those moments can give you room to process what you've already experienced.

Quiet can support discernment, but it isn't a requirement for it. We can learn to pause and notice even when life isn't quiet.

The world doesn’t have to become quiet before we can pause, notice, and think for ourselves.

You Don't Need to Live in Silence

None of this means you need to start driving everywhere without music.

You don't need to delete your social media accounts.

You don't need to stop listening to podcasts.

You don't need to sit silently in your living room staring at the wall.

And you certainly don't need to feel guilty every time you reach for your phone.

This isn't about creating another rule.

It's about becoming aware.

How much information am I taking in?

How often am I hearing other people's opinions?

How quickly do I fill boredom?

Do I ever let my mind wander?

Do I give myself time to think something through before looking for another person's answer?

Is the noise helping me right now, or am I consuming it automatically?

Those answers will look different for everyone.

The point isn't to achieve some perfect balance.

It's to notice yours.

Notice What You Automatically Fill

Over the next few days, pay attention to the little spaces.

The drive.

The shower.

The walk.

Cooking dinner.

Standing in line.

Waiting for an appointment.

The few minutes before everyone else wakes up.

The moment you become bored.

Notice your first instinct.

You don't have to change it.

Just notice it.

Maybe you'll decide you love listening to your favorite podcast during your commute.

Keep listening.

Maybe you'll realize you reach for your phone every single time nothing else is happening.

Interesting.

Maybe one morning you'll decide not to turn anything on.

And maybe nothing happens.

Or maybe you'll finally think through something that's been sitting quietly in the back of your mind.

Either way, you've given yourself something that can be surprisingly difficult to find in a world constantly asking for your attention:

Space.

Sometimes getting to know ourselves begins with simply giving ourselves a little room to be.

Understanding Yourself Requires Time With Yourself

We spend an enormous amount of our lives learning about the world around us.

We learn what other people think.

What they recommend.

What they're afraid of.

What they believe.

What they're buying.

What they're doing.

What they think we should be doing.

Some of that information can make our lives immeasurably better.

But there is another person worth getting to know too.

You.

And understanding yourself requires opportunities to actually spend time with your own thoughts.

Not because every thought you have is correct.

Not because your first instinct should always be followed.

And not because silence contains some magical version of you who already knows every answer.

Self-understanding is part of discernment precisely because our thoughts, feelings, assumptions, fears, values, experiences, and influences all deserve examination.

Sometimes we need more information.

Sometimes we need another perspective.

Sometimes we need professional guidance.

Sometimes we need someone we trust to challenge our thinking.

And sometimes we've already heard enough.

What we need next is a little room to think.

Sometimes the next thing you need isn't another answer. It's enough space to hear what you already think.

Sometimes we’ve already taken in enough. What we need next is a little space to think.

Fox's Take

I don't think noise is bad.

I love learning.

I love conversations.

I love discovering new ideas and hearing perspectives that make me think differently.

But I also think there is something important about not filling every available moment.

Sometimes silence forces me to sit with my thoughts.

Sometimes it gives me peace.

And sometimes an answer I've been searching for seems to appear when I finally stop trying so hard to find it.

I don't think we need to romanticize silence or turn it into another thing we're supposed to be doing correctly.

I think we just need to remember that our own minds deserve some of our attention too.

There will always be another voice available.

Another article.

Another video.

Another opinion.

Another piece of advice.

Another thing asking us to listen.

We should listen.

We should learn.

We should remain open to being challenged and changed.

But somewhere among all those voices, we also need opportunities to understand our own.

So maybe the question isn't:

Am I getting enough silence?

Maybe it's simply:

Do I ever give myself enough space to hear myself?

Sources & Further Reading

If you'd like to explore the research behind attention, cognitive overload, mind-wandering, boredom, creativity, and what can happen when we give our minds space away from constant input, these are excellent places to begin:

• Gloria Mark. Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity. Hanover Square Press, 2023.

• Matthew A. Killingsworth & Daniel T. Gilbert. “A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind.” Science, 2010.

• Benjamin Baird, Jonathan Smallwood, Michael D. Mrazek, Julia W. Y. Kam, Michael S. Franklin & Jonathan W. Schooler. “Inspired by Distraction: Mind Wandering Facilitates Creative Incubation.” Psychological Science, 2012.

• Sandi Mann & Rebekah Cadman. “Does Being Bored Make Us More Creative?” Creativity Research Journal, 2014.

• John D. Eastwood, Alexandra Frischen, Mark J. Fenske & Daniel Smilek. “The Unengaged Mind: Defining Boredom in Terms of Attention.” Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2012.

• Sophie Leroy. “Why Is It So Hard to Do My Work? The Challenge of Attention Residue When Switching Between Work Tasks.” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2009.

• Eyal Ophir, Clifford Nass & Anthony D. Wagner. “Cognitive Control in Media Multitaskers.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2009.

Like & Comment

I’d love to hear from you.

Do you make room for quiet in your life, or do you find yourself filling every empty moment? Give this article a like or share your thoughts in the comments below.

This article is for educational and inspirational purposes and is designed to support personal growth and intentional living. It is not a substitute for professional medical, mental health, legal, or financial advice.

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