The Unexpected Benefits of Silence for Ourselves and Our Relationships
Is silence always a sign of avoidance or an unwillingness to express ourselves? Or can it play an important role in healthy relationships?
The silent treatment.
You don’t even need to hear an explanation to know exactly what it means. It’s almost like we’re conditioned to assume that silence in our relationships is used as a weapon at best, or a major red flag of deeper underlying problems at worst. We worry that silence is a sign that there is a problem that we or someone we love has an issue they are unwilling or unable to express. We fear that silence is too loud, that it takes up too much space, or that a lack of a response is in itself a much bigger response than words could ever be.
Yet silence can play an important role in maintaining a healthy romantic relationship or platonic friendship — and have physical and mental health benefits.
The benefits of silence
When was the last time you experienced silence? Depending on where you live, that answer could vary greatly. Our lives are ever growing noisier, filled with noise pollution, traffic, background music, podcasts, tv shows, and those people (you know the ones…
