Discomfort with Silence

ADHD Education

Lately, I have been observing people in conversations more than I ever have before; and what I have noticed is most people are very uncomfortable with silence.

Whether you are at a restaurant with friends, listening to a lecture or simply having a conversation with a friend, I sense there is an underlying pressure that most people feel to fill the space of silence. You perceive a void and feel responsible for creating some sort of response because the silence makes you squirm in your mind and body.

We as a human race are very uncomfortable with silence. Just check it out for yourself.

Sit in a quiet room, with a clock or watch that has a second hand. Of course the clock must be clearly in view, with no distractions and don’t say anything for thirty seconds. Just listen and be present with the silence permeating your presence.

Notice how long that small duration of time feels when there is total silence. How did it make you feel?
What did you notice? Where did your mind and thoughts go? What would happen if you extended it to one minute of silence?

People who regularly meditate often do it for thirty minutes to one hour a day. They claim it clears the fog in their mind and creates renewed energy. After doing this exercise, I think it will be come increasingly clear to you it takes discipline to sit still in silence.

I think the benefits to people with ADHD can be significant but learning to sit still with a physically and/or cognitively hyper active mind is quite challenging. You might want to start with learning to feel comfortable with silence.

Also, for those of you who have difficulty doing any kind of sitting in a traditional meditation style, there is always moving meditation which for me is a daily regimen of diverse, fun physical exercises where I often become hyper-focused.

Meditation does not mean you have to sit in with your legs crossed in a lotus position with your palms upright resting on your knees with a rigid posture. That simply did not work for me no matter how hard I tried. However, once I gave myself permission to open up my mind to other possibilities for accessing my silence, I found ways to use movement and exercise to access the creativity and energy located inside of me.

What’s your relationship with silence? How do you access it? Is your process helpful? How are you going to access your own silence?