Creating Your Own Quieteness: How to find silence in a noisy world

16.12.2024 0 Like 0 kommenttia

{Silence is a material that becomes woven into an artwork, if the space where the artwork was created also contained silence.}

Are you sensitive to sound like me? Do you enjoy quietness? In this little text, I would like to share the ways I have developed to cope with being sensitive to sound. I care about my fellow human beings, and this blog post on well-being also shares my ardour for self-care.

My Story

It is for sure that our world is getting louder. Noise pollution is a serious stressor for both animals and people. I hope the world becomes quieter. Ever since I was little, I have been sensitive to sound. I am always listening. Now that I am older, I am much more able to create the quietness I need. And boy, oh boy, art school in the middle of a city can be very loud.

Always Carry Ear Protection

I am actively normalizing the daily wear of earmuffs. Know that it is totally okay to wear hearing protection on the daily. At first, I felt weird wearing earmuffs in public, but no one actually minds, and I want to encourage others to embrace their uniqueness. Wherever you go, always have hearing protection with you. Earplugs can easily fit in your pocket and can be found for free in the wood workshop and at some Teak theatre events. All new first-year students can get earplugs for free. I carry my earmuffs looped around my backpack. These earmuffs offer the highest decibel reduction. As soon as something is too loud, I am quick to put on earmuffs.

Find Quiet Spaces

The early morning and Sundays are the quietest times at school. My gosh, it is beautiful. Our university is quite noisy. There are always ventilation sounds, and there is a highway out front. I would recommend exploring to see if you can find somewhere quiet. There are quiet office boxes, a library with a downstairs, music editing rooms, and other spaces. This blog has a collection of quiet spaces in Helsinki. I also really like Pasila Library because of the trickle of the water feature. Read this blog for other favourite libraries. 

Immediately Ask for Less Noise

It is important to remove noise as soon as possible. I used to stay in a noisy situation until I would cry. Now, I have developed my ability to bravely take immediate action. For example, I was in a class, and there was an open door to a room with loud ventilation. So, I stood up and closed the door. It is quite common for a teacher to play a video too loudly, so I raise my hand and signal that it is too loud. I have also gotten better at telling my friends that I would like to hang out somewhere quiet. But this skill is definitely something I would like to improve further. It takes bravery. 

Ocean Breath and Humming

This is a weird tip, but when there is a loud noise, if I make a loud noise in my imagination or sound effects with my voice, it really helps. For example, sometimes as I have walked past loud construction, I made “boom krrrrrrr” sounds in my mind, and it really helps. From yoga, I learned ocean breathing, or ujjayi breathing. This allows me to make a gentle sound that only I can hear. By making my own sounds, physical or imaginary, I can create cover from an external not-so-nice soundscape.

Deep Listening

Deep Listening is the practice created by composer Pauline Oliveros to enhance listening skills. To me, it means paying attention to small sounds, feeling into how sounds affect us, and understanding their deeper meaning. Her book and music are very interesting. The sounds inside of our minds are also sounds. It is very good to exercise our ability to quiten the mind.

Know When and Where It Is Going to Be Loud

Snow makes everything quiet. Rain makes car sounds louder. Summer is super loud. When we know when and where it will be loud, we can mentally prepare. It is also important to check in with ourselves during the day and see if we need some quietness.

Lunch Somewhere Else

This follows on from the last paragraph. Unicafe is very noisy at peak lunchtime from 11:30 to 13:00. I usually wear my headphones when getting my lunch. At KaivoPiha UniCafe, there is a quiet room in the back corner. Bless the socks of the people who made this accessible space! If it is going to be noisy, it is more than okay to take your lunch and eat somewhere else. I love sitting in my studio, but you can go outside or find any little space in the building. Take the quietness you need to reground for the rest of the day.

Bass boost program/Headphones 

Some nice music can really help give the day a good vibe. From Tori, it is possible to buy pretty good secondhand headphones. I would suggest looking for a computer program and phone app that allows you to increase the bass. This is known as an equaliser. By increasing the bass, I find music becomes softer and easier to listen to. On my computer, I have a free program called eqMac2. 

Summary

Quietness is a real treasure and something that helps us to feel good. I hope you enjoy moments of silence and gentle sounds in your life. Quietness nurtures our well-being and maintain balances in a world is so loud. Remember, it’s okay to prioritize your need for silence and to seek out spaces and practices that support a gentle soundscape.