Ambulance sirens, the neighbour’s TV, urban fox calls: London’s a noisy old place. Modern life means we already have information overload to deal with – 24/7 news cycles, social media and emails – but studies have shown that there’s also been a rise in decibel levels in landscapes everywhere over recent decades. As things get louder and louder, both in city and countryside, we are starting to lose something crucial to mental health: silence.
‘Silent retreats are increasingly popular because they give our bodies and minds the rest they so deeply crave by eliminating the pressure to ‘chat’,’ says Caroline Sylger Jones, Founder and Co-Director of The Global Retreat Company. These focused programmes, which typically take place in a group setting within soothing natural surrounds, give you the rare opportunity to touch base with yourself – resetting, recharging and recalibrating as the distraction of conversation is taken away.
