What Are You Listening To?

Today, on the International Day of Listening, I invite you to pause and ask yourself a simple but profound question: What are you listening to right now?

Not just with your ears, but with your entire being.

The Sounds Within

Close your eyes for a moment. What's playing in your head? Is it the endless chatter of tasks and worries? The replay of a conversation from yesterday? Perhaps it's that song that's been stuck on repeat, or maybe it's the quieter voice of intuition trying to break through the noise.

We often talk about "listening to our thoughts," but rarely consider the quality of what we're tuning into. Are we listening to thoughts that nourish us—creative ideas, moments of gratitude, loving observations? Or are we unconsciously tuned to the harsh frequencies of self-criticism, anxiety, and doubt?

The mind, like a radio, can be tuned to different stations. The question is: who's controlling the dial?

The Sounds Around Us

Now expand your awareness outward. What's your acoustic environment telling you?

The gentle rustle of leaves might whisper peace and connection to the natural world. The distant hum of traffic could feel energizing and urban, or overwhelming and isolating. The sounds of people laughing nearby might spark joy and belonging, or highlight loneliness.

Both our internal soundscape and external environment actively shape our nervous system's state. The anxious thoughts on repeat can trigger the same stress response as harsh environmental noise. The quality of what we listen to—whether it's the voice in our head or the sounds around us—directly influences whether we feel safe and connected, or stressed and isolated. Some spaces invite us to breathe deeper and open our hearts. Others make us want to retreat inward or escape entirely.

Consider: Do the sounds around you make you feel held by your environment, or do they make you want to put on noise-canceling headphones and disappear into your own bubble?

The Deeper Listen

There's something beautiful about recognizing that listening is both the most intimate act (tuning into our inner world) and the most connecting one (opening to what surrounds us). When we truly listen—to ourselves and our environment—we discover we're not separate from the world around us. We're part of an intricate web of sound, sensation, and meaning.

This kind of listening is an act of presence. It's choosing to be here, now, aware of both the inner landscape and the outer one. It's recognizing that the quality of our attention shapes the quality of our experience.

When Listening Changes

Throughout our lives, something fascinating happens to our capacity to listen. This constant exposure to stressful "sounds"—whether from anxious thoughts or harsh environments—doesn't just affect us in the moment. It actually reshapes the intricate relationship between our nervous system and our hearing over time.

Research reveals that this relationship is constantly evolving. Even young adults exposed to chronic stress or noise show changes in how their brain processes sound, integrates auditory information with other senses, and manages the cognitive effort required to listen. The neural networks that separate speech from background noise, locate sounds in space, and filter relevant from irrelevant information can be affected at any age.

As we move through life, these changes become more pronounced. The peripheral structures of our ears may show wear, but more significantly, the central processing—how our brain makes sense of sound—continues to adapt and change.

But here's what's remarkable: while our peripheral hearing may decline, our capacity for deeper listening—the kind that connects us to meaning, beauty, and each other—can actually deepen with age. Many older adults become extraordinary listeners, not despite their hearing decline, but because they've learned to listen with their whole being.

Creating Spaces for Deep Listening

This is why the acoustic quality of our environments matters more than we might think. It's not just about volume or speech clarity—it's about creating spaces that support our nervous system's capacity to remain open, present, and connected.

When our sonic environment is chaotic or harsh, our nervous system shifts into protection mode. We become more isolated, more reactive, less able to listen deeply to ourselves or others. But when we're surrounded by acoustic environments that feel safe and nourishing, something different happens. We relax. We open. We become more available to the subtle frequencies of wisdom, connection, and joy.

The Invitation

So on this International Day of Listening, I offer you this invitation:

Tune in. What are you listening to in your inner world? Choose the station consciously.

Tune out. Notice what sounds in your environment support your wellbeing, and which ones drain it. You have more agency here than you might think.

Tune up. Remember that listening is a practice. The more we cultivate deep listening—to ourselves, to others, to our environment—the richer and more connected our lives become. Like any skill, it can be developed and refined through intentional practice and the right tools.

Whether you're 25 or 85, whether your hearing is perfect or you're navigating decline, your capacity for meaningful listening can continue to grow. And here's the thing: changes in how we process sound don't just happen with advanced age. Even in our twenties and thirties, factors like stress, noise exposure, and modern life can affect how our nervous system handles auditory information. It's not just about the mechanics of hearing—it's about the art of presence, the choice to stay open, and the wisdom to recognize that in a noisy world, deep listening might be the most radical act of all.

What are you listening to today?

Take a moment to notice. Take a moment to choose. Take a moment to listen.

Special Offer for International Day of Listening

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The Olo App uses cutting-edge spatial audio and nervous system science to create acoustic environments that support deep listening, reduce stress, and enhance your connection to both inner wisdom and outer world.

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Together, they create the perfect toolkit for cultivating the kind of deep, restorative listening your nervous system craves.

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Valid through Sunday, September 21st (11:59 PT) - International Day of Peace

Because in a world full of noise, deep listening is both a practice of peace and a revolutionary act.

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