We live in a noisy world.

Daily life feels fast, and it’s only getting faster. The amount of information we’re exposed to is immense and relentless. And the rate it comes at us is phenomenal.

Although it’s difficult to quantify how many discrete bits of information a person processes in a day, we know it’s a lot. But it’s not simply the volume. There’s also the relentless nature of it all — a low-level hum that doesn’t go away. The constancy of the demands of life, and the never-ending need to respond, eats away at our sense of peace and balance.

And there are no signs things are going to quieten down. This year is not any less intense than last. 2026 will not be calmer or less noisy than 2025.

As James Gallagher writes in his recent BBC article, our noisy world is seriously damaging our health. By measuring the effect of external noise on his nervous system, Gallagher experienced firsthand how different noise levels activate the fight-or-flight response e.g. the sound of traffic in Dhaka, Bangladesh (dubbed one of the noisiest cities in the world) sent his heart rate up and he began to sweat more.

Why does this happen?

“You have an emotional response to sound,” explains Charlotte Clark, Professor of Environmental Epidemiology at St George’s, University of London. “So your heart rate goes up, your nervous system starts to kick in and you release stress hormones.”

This kind of chronic exposure results in damage over time – increasing the risk of heart attack, stroke and high blood pressure.

As Gallagher concludes: “What I’m left with is a new appreciation for finding some space in our lives to just escape the noise…”

This goes to the heart of what I write about in my new book, Do Reset. Meditate. Move Beyond Thinking. Find clarity.

Because the noise isn’t going to go away.

And it’s not just the external noise of the world around you.

Often it’s the babble inside your head that is loudest. Because when you’re awake, you think. Every minute of every hour of every day – thinking.

Whether it’s external noise or the noise within, when the volume exceeds your tolerance threshold, your mind is left buzzing and your body is in a state of chronic stress reactivity.

How do we find peace in the midst of the din and return to a healthier state?

How do we reset and get back to who we really are?

The answer lies within.
There’s a place inside you that is quiet and still.

A pure, inner, serene state. It is you — minus your thoughts.

Meditation is the most reliable way to experience this. To stop identifying with the thoughts in your head, to rest your nervous system deeply and get back to balance.

That’s what my book is about. Meditation as a daily reset to get past the noise, step beyond the busy mind and finding clarity.

~ Jillian Lavender