The Power of Silence

What do you hear when you quiet your mind? When the noise fades away, when you turn inward and feel? In our lives, we often rush through things without even realizing it. You usually only notice it when you return from a walk in the woods or a vacation in the mountains.

A peaceful life

I’ve been living in France for a while now—still in a rental house—and from the window in my study, I have a view of the deep garden and the valley. I watch the trees shed their leaves in the fall; in the spring, I see everything burst into green, white, pink, purple… as everything comes back into full bloom. I don’t hear any cars here, I don’t see any buildings—just nature.

Life in turmoil; silence in the city

As soon as I reach the outskirts of Paris, on my way back to my beloved Netherlands, I start seeing buildings along the road again, the number of cars increases, and in the Netherlands itself there’s a constant buzz… everyone is busy, preoccupied, distracted, and often in a hurry.

When I look people in the eye, I can see that they aren’t really connecting; they’re just quickly putting their groceries in the cart after a long day at work, sitting in traffic, and picking up the kids. And I totally get it… for years, I lived that way too.

In the rat race of life. I loved it! I was running on adrenaline and was “in the zone.” I tackled one project after another, all of them presenting huge challenges (that’s exactly how I wanted it), with deadlines that were too tight (that’s just part of the job), a chronic lack of funding (welcome to the NPO), and too much ambition and passion for the cause (just like all my colleagues).

The power of nature

And then I went to Spain. I had already been working on Discover Your Holy Grail and wanted to continue working in the tranquility of nature. The seven months we spent there, largely in a nature park, changed my life forever.

The silence around me, living day in and day out in and with nature, spending a lot of time outdoors, and experiencing very few distractions—it was heavenly. Once back in the city, I couldn’t settle in anymore. Too busy, too hectic, too disconnected.

My nervous system could no longer handle being “on” all day long, and so the desire to live in nature was born, which a few years later led to a life in France. Where we do, in fact, live in silence.

The Space and Power of Silence

Where the noise stops, space emerges. And in that space, you can experience life with your senses. You can taste, feel, see, hear, and smell much more clearly. In that silence, you can hear what’s going on inside you, what your desires are, your wishes. You can feel where things are rubbing, what needs healing. Do you have that experience too?

What is the silence trying to tell you?

Five tips for finding silence in your life:

1. Get out into nature as often as you can. Trees release plenty of feel-good hormones that make you feel happier right away.
2. Gaze into the distance. It helps your eyes relax and boosts your creativity.
3. Make it a habit to put your phone away when you’re not working. And don’t look at another screen right after 😉 This will help your sympathetic nervous system relax.
4. Go for a walk for at least an hour and don’t listen to music. Rhythm calms our nervous system.
5. Meditate or do yoga. By gently turning your attention inward, you can sense what’s going on inside you. This creates space within you.

In December 2025, we had a podcast about the Power of Stillness. Below the article, you can listen to the episode about silence.

Does this article appeal to you? You might also want to check out the books by Discover Your Holy Grail. Are you curious about what we organize? Then sign up for one of our events.

My name is Rianne van Kuil, author of Discover Your Holy Grail – Your Hero’s Journey from Trauma to Healing, and a trauma and healing expert. I believe that complete healing from trauma is possible, and I guide people on that journey.

Photo: iStock-Bankxr