Your matcha order was made wrong, you’re running late to your nine am and suddenly your headphones die. It’s the recipe for the worst day ever. But it is actually a blessing in disguise.
This happens to me more often than I’d like to admit but taking my headphones off didn’t ruin my day. It helped me be more balanced, appreciate my surroundings and be present where my feet are.
The typical school day is all accompanied by artificial noise. I’ve grown accustomed to constantly consuming media through podcasts, music and audiobooks. It is honestly exhausting. I rarely make time to look around in silence and take everything in.
Generation Z agrees with this, back in 2023 silent walking became a trend. Essentially you walk with no music or podcasts, only the noise of your surroundings. A trend that has become a habit many people practice purposely.
Intentionally leaving your headphones in your dorm or not taking the earbuds out of your bag has two major mental health benefits. The silence helps your brain grow by creating new brain cells as your brain needs to be exposed to new auditory environments.
Leading to you finding yourself around nature more often. Going on a silent walk encourages you to explore places in nature, research published in 2019 in Current Directions in Psychological Science found people who spend more time in nature rather than urban cities have more improvements in cognitive function.
Despite the trends benefits, it has been mocked on social media by older generations claiming it has been done for generations and it is nothing revolutionary. “The ignorance they think they came up with the idea themselves.”
And it’s true, it’s not new but it’s what some people need. It is a solution to problems of anxiety and tech dependency. Not a concept but a challenge towards self improvement.
Walking back to your dorm after a long day listening to nature as you walk through the beautiful UM campus helps your mind wind down, catch a breath.
Hearing the water pouring from the fountain, students having conversations, and my own footsteps. Taking a step back and being where your feet are at that very moment. A step closer to living in the present and observing.
Removing a piece of technology and taking time to breath, think thoughts, and reflect on your day. When it’s late at night this helps improve your quality of sleep by minimizing distractions and focusing on calming your body down. Allowing your body to fully rest in a quiet dark environment.
This doesn’t mean throw out your headphones or never buy them again. They do hold a lot of benefits that I use all of the time. If you need personal space or want to disassociate after a bad day you can pop them in. And a walk with your favorite podcast or playlist can help improve your mood.
Just take them off every now and then. Take advantage of the social interactions on campus, take a walk and hear the birds, and remember you can give your brain a break. It’s about balance.