Sound familiar? "I can't sit and do nothing," "I don't have time for that," "that's for hippies and Buddhists." I used to say the same thing. Until one day, I realized my head was a 24-hour news channel with a terrible schedule. Anxiety, memories, plans, fears, "what ifs," "I have to get it done." This noise never stopped. Even at night, I'd wake up thinking about things to do.

So I decided to give it a try. First, three minutes. I closed my eyes and just breathed. I listened to the air coming in and out. I listened to the ticking of the wall clock, the rustling of the wind outside the window. And during those moments, my brain went crazy. He wanted to run, to decide, to do something. But I sat. And just breathed.

For the first few weeks, nothing changed. I was angry. I thought, "So what? Why am I doing this? I don't feel enlightened." But I didn't give in. Simply because for those three minutes, at least I was silent. For the first time that day.

And then something strange happened. I noticed that in traffic, I no longer tapped my fingers on the steering wheel. I looked at the sky. I felt the sun warming the windshield. And I didn't get angry. I just stood and breathed. At the office, before a difficult meeting, I stopped thinking about "what will I say?" and simply took five breaths. And it became quieter inside.

This isn't about religion. Not about magic. This is about learning to be with yourself. Not running to your phone, not eating stress away, not drowning it in coffee or wine. Just—be.

Now I have mornings without my phone. I used to grab it right after the alarm went off. Now I lie down and listen to myself. I breathe. I start the day not with other people's opinions and other people's news, but with myself.

It's hard. Sometimes I still want to grab my phone and check my email. But I hold on. Because in silence, I finally hear myself. My true desires. My fatigue. My joy. They were always there, I just couldn't hear them.

I've learned to be silent. And honestly, it's the best thing I've done for myself in recent years.

Do you have a moment of silence during the day? Or is it always noise and bustle?

Alexandra