Sounds of Silence
ideas for breaking the fight, flight, freeze cycle
Hello friend! My name is Amy. I am so happy you have stopped by ✨ If you are new here, a warm welcome to you! This space is where I meander through midlife, connecting to my true self through the seasonal shifts and simpler living, and seeking my inner wise woman. If you are also on this path and looking for someone to walk gently beside you, I see you and am here. Let’s color outside the lines together.
I was sitting at my desk last week, doing the typical things: talking to clients, making appointments, and ordering supplies for our veterinary practice. Directly behind me sits a combo unit copier/fax/printer, and its white noise is a part of each day. Suddenly, I noticed the machine's ‘silent’ hum had stopped. Right away, I found myself taking an unconscious deep breath. Wow, my whole body relaxed, what a relief it was! It got me thinking about the constant noise, both literal and figurative, that bombards our bodies daily.
Have you heard of the fight-or-flight response? Are you also aware of the third component, the Freeze/Flop? We live at a time that is inundated with constant news, and while trying to keep pace with the rapid-fire changes coming at us both socially and economically, many of us can become frozen. It’s in part a survival instinct, and when stuck in it too long has some major health consequences.
“While freezing might seem like a counterintuitive way to respond to danger, it serves a purpose, just as fight or flight does.” [It can] ”Reduce the impact of the event: A 2017 articleTrusted Source suggests that the freeze response may be related to dissociation. Dissociation is something that can occur when a person has a traumatic experience. It makes severely distressing events feel less real, causing a person to feel numb or detached. This may explain why the freeze response is more common in people with previous experiences of trauma.1
When we find ourselves stuck in this cycle, the hypothalamus of our brain gives a little nudge to our pituitary gland, which then stimulates the adrenal glands to release a burst of cortisol. Over time, this constant cortisol release can lead to things like high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
So, how can silence help us break the fight, flight, freeze cycle?
Practice Mindfulness: We need to make room for silence in our lives. Even as little as 5 minutes of deep breathing and being in the present moment can make a huge difference. It can slow your heart rate and reduce anxiety. I’ve attached a meditation to get you started, and once you are familiar with it, you can do it on your own in silence.
Silence Makes you Smarter: “Quieting the mind can boost brain growth, according to a 2013 animal study in mice. Researchers found that when mice were exposed to 2 hours of silence each day, they developed new cells in the hippocampus. The hippocampus is the brain region that’s linked to our memory, emotions, and ability to learn.”2
Improves Sleep: Take a silent time before you go to bed, turn off the devices and television, and allow the constant noise to stop. I will take a few minutes while lying in bed and say to myself, like a mantra, things that I am grateful for that day. As I am in perimenopause, I find that I wake up several times a night😅, and recently, as an experiment, I’ve started listing gratitudes each time I awaken. I have found that I fall back to sleep again more quickly and in a very calm place!
We need to find ways to take care of ourselves, find our centers, and reduce stress. Try adding some silence to each day and let me know what you think!
Until next time,
