Justin Talbot Zorn, Leigh Marz in an article a few years ago on Harvard Business Review have reported that taking time for silence restores the nervous system, helps sustain energy, and conditions our minds to be more adaptive and responsive.
Silence is associated with the development of new cells in the hippocampus, the key brain region associated with learning and memory, increasing the chances of finding new ideas and being more creative, but also allowing your body to focus the energy where it is needed. This is even more important in times when your body may need to respond quickly to external threats.
Try going on a social media intermittent fasting and just sitting silently for a few minutes between meetings, or taking a long walk with no phone. Feeling bored sometimes may just mean that you are allowing your body to re-calibrate, and that’s good!
Picture Credit: Pashet, London-based freelance artist, 2020