The art of de-noise

The image you look at is from the small village where we spend the summer. This is our "backyard" turned from a field into a fruit garden. The picture was taken in early May 2025 and is perfect for today's topic.

See, we're a relatively modest family - we don't lack anything, live well, enjoy what we do and where we go. But an example, a cruise trip or tourist crowds - well, not exactly our thing. Over the years, we become extremely mobile and able to "freeze" our usual location, then move away for the spring or summer. By this, I mean the village house is ~15km from several beaches and sea retreats. Still wild, even when there are tourists, with a bit colder sea, but more serene, this place is truly captivating. So we leave the city apartment (which intentionally does not have anything so expensive in it - maybe a TV and a PlayStation, lol) and move to the seacoast for the summer.

There, I have noticed over the years a strange pattern. The work is the same (yes, we work from there); the challenges that appear are basically the same, since the clients are the same... but the stress is gone. With the advance of time, I started to perceive the city as a huge hive, always buzzing, always full of stress and noise - sirens, buzz, mobile cells, traffic outside. And the people themselves are packed in a relatively small space, each with their own vibration.

This vibration quickly fades when you go into a rural area, displaced by the natural sounds - wind, plants, crickets, bees and other insects, birds and animals. Visually, audibly, and sensually, I quickly detach and distance. In combination with the mighty hum of the sea, this feels like a lifehack - a chill pill without the negative effects.

There are countless studies on stepping on grass, stepping on sea salt, meditating in parks, and breathing surrounded by nature. And while I admit these are working techniques, for me the magic is to permanently detach from the city - not needed to be 200-300km away, you just need to be outside of the city perimeter - e.g. 10-15km is more than enough. Otherwise, you get a temporary effect, but a ride on the metro or a crowded event erases it almost immediately.

I see some "leaders" and "podcast" preachers praise hustle, overwork, and overburn. I find this cynical, as most of these people don't look calm and happy; they look stressed, and honestly, this is not a way to be really productive. Fitness, swimming, running are good treatments, meditation too, but if you can't step outside of the city vibration, for me you're doing nothing - a Siziffian effort pushing your rock up the hill.

Thus, my advice - to really de-noise and calibrate yourself - go for a few days in a small village or forest retreat. They live normally, even work with your temps, no problem with that. And if you notice a positive pattern, an increased productivity, just build a habit to reset every month or every few months.

And if you can combine this with a good scenery - like this one below, this is even better, as the sensory overload cleanses your cluttered synapses, pushes a soft reset to your core system, that is overpressured by the daily phone screen stare.

When I have some more time, I will share my ideas and concepts for a digital detox in rural areas, as this is very close to my heart and I think is the key to helping a lot of adults, and youngsters re-gain focus, stamina and calmness.

So, touch grass, my friends, recalibrate and treat yourself with some days out of the buzzing city. Even in smaller cities, this effect shows up.