What a lot of noise – white noise, pink noise, green noise, and brown noise!… not every noise is grating … some noises are intended to be soothing …
Not all noise is noisy. The four most common types of “good” noise are white, pink, brown, and green noise. White noise may help you concentrate … while brown noise helps you sleep … and green noise helps you unwind after work … while pink noise helps during mindfulness practices. But not everyone relaxes to the same frequencies. White noise is the great equalizer and the type that most people have heard of, or even listened to. White noise machines emit specific sounds, such as the sound of a hum of a cooling fan, an air conditioner, television static, or steady rainfall, designed to distract you from annoying noises so that you can focus on work or something else. White noise contains all audible frequencies in equal measure. It is steady, neutral, and continuous. People like it because it masks unpredictable sounds, like footsteps in a hallway, distant chatter, and doors closing. It creates a feeling of acoustic privacy and is often referred to as “good noise.” Not everyone likes white noise though. Because it contains all frequencies, it can feel sharp or overwhelming for sensitive listeners. Pink noise is soft, warm, and natural. Pink noise decreases in power as the pitch increases, giving it a softer, more balanced feel than white noise. It is associated with wind, ocean waves, and rustling leaves. People like it because it mirrors many natural environmental sounds, making it soothing to aid sleep or to focus on specific tasks. Not everyone likes pink noise because they don’t like the sound of water or wind. Green noise is nature’s middle ground. Green noise amplifies mid-range frequencies, reducing harshness and creating a more natural, ambient presence. It is often compared to waterfalls, river streams, and forest ambience. People who find white noise too intense, but crave an environmental “blanket” of sound, like the presence of green noise. Brown noise is deep, low, and grounding. Brown, or Brownian, noise decreases power even more sharply than pink noise, creating a deeper, bass-heavy sound like distant thunder, vigorous ocean surf, and deep rumbling wind. People like it because it creates a physical sense of grounding. Many people feel the noise reverberating in their chest, which can calm their anxiety. Even if we don’t notice it consciously, our nervous systems are constantly adjusting to the acoustic landscape around us, often becoming a comforting sound. Examples include a humming fridge, children’s voices and laughter, and a waterfall. Not everyone likes the same comforting sounds though. One person’s soothing sound is another person’s irritating sound. A sound you thought was soothing one day might become annoying the more you listen to it. Noise doesn’t just exist “out there.” It interacts with your sensory profile, stress levels, environments, routines, or patterns of attention. Some sounds become personal noise triggers. By focusing intentionally on different types of sounds, you can learn which noises drain you fastest, which noises soothe you, and which noises have become normalized without you realising it. Tranquility Mapping can help to locate where sound pools; where sound echoes; where noise naturally fades; how textures, curtains, carpets, and plants soften harsh frequencies; and how furniture placement influences acoustic flow. It can help a room, an office, or a corner become a place of rest and not a stressor. Once you know what sounds calm you, you can create focused playlists, sleep soundscapes, stress-reduction breaks, and noise-mitigation strategies for travel, meetings, and shared spaces. The aim is to make noise less of an invader and more of a resource. When noise feels random, intrusive, or unpredictable, your stress systems remain on alert. When noise becomes understood and mapped, calmness becomes possible, even in a noisy world.
Amazon Review, Canada 27 October 2025: Marie-Pier Cote - 5 stars I didn’t realize how much my environment affected my stress until I read this book. Tranquility Mapping helped me slow down and actually notice the spaces around me. Martina Nicolls explains things in such a calm, thoughtful way that you can almost feel your shoulders drop while reading. The mapping exercises were surprisingly fun, and I’ve already created a small “quiet corner” at home that I use every morning. It’s practical, creative, and gentle! Perfect for anyone who feels overstimulated or scattered. What I loved most is that it doesn’t preach; it simply guides you back to your own sense of peace. Can’t see the whole article? Want to view the original article? Want to view more articles? Go to Martina’s Substack: The Stories in You and Me More Paris articles are in my Paris website The Paris Residences of James Joyce You're currently a free subscriber to The Stories in You and Me . For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
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Saturday, 13 December 2025
What a lot of noise – white noise, pink noise, green noise, and brown noise!
Tuesday, 9 December 2025
Serenity Now! Why George and Kramer’s mantra didn’t work
Serenity Now! Why George and Kramer’s mantra didn’t work… the Seinfeld show still has lessons in life …
If you’re a Seinfeld fan, you’ll remember the classic Season 9 “The Serenity Now” episode which aired on 9 October 1997. George Costanza’s father, Frank was trying a relaxation technique prescribed by a self-help cassette tape. Every time he felt stressed, the instruction was that he must shout the calming mantra “Serenity now!” Shout, not whisper. Inevitably, chaos followed. George starts using the mantra too. In the short term, it seems to help, until he begins repressing everything: anger, desire, sadness, everything. Finally, he erupts in total anger. Cosmo Kramer, swept up in the mantra mania, tries it too. But his pent-up stress and anger also bursts through his forced “calm.” By the end of the episode, the characters learn a fundamental psychological truth: repression isn’t serenity and shouting is not soothing. Why did the mantra “Serenity now” fail miserably? One reason is that it encouraged suppression of the emotions, especially of anger, rather than processing the emotion. Frank and George used the mantra as a lid on a boiling pot. Instead of calming their nervous systems, they trapped their emotions. When emotions have nowhere to go, they eventually choose a volatile exit, like a volcano. The second reason is that it wasn’t paired with actual calming practices. “Serenity now!” was a tactic in the show, and not a strategy. A single phrase can’t do the work of mindful breathing, environmental adjustments, self-awareness, or emotional reflection. The third reason is that the mantra became a joke. The phrase was used ironically, and it lost any meaning that a mantra is supposed to provide. Another reason is that you can shout “I’m calm!” all you want but your body will register stress on a physiological level: muscles tighten, breath shortens, and the nervous system speeds up. “Serenity now!” was all about shutting down feelings. Perhaps, if the Seinfeld characters had tried “Tranquility now” their efforts may have been different. “Tranquility now” is about inviting calmness into your life, rather than forcing it. It maps the locations, objects, and activities in life that soothes you physically, emotionally, and environmentally. Tranquility Mapping is grounded in awareness, not denial. Unlike Frank Costanza’s approach, Tranquility Mapping starts with noticing where your body tenses up in anger, fear, and so on, what triggers overwhelm, the spaces and locations that give you micro-moments of rest, and how your environment can be rearranged to support serenity and calm. Tranquility Mapping uses the environment as a healer. The Tranquility Mapping guide, in which you map your environment, inside or outside, shows people how to identify and locate calming corners; textures, sounds, and lighting that soothe tension; micro-rituals and grounding points; and stress-reducing arrangements in homes, offices, schools, or communal spaces. Tranquility is being in environments that cooperate with your nervous system, not shouting at it. It is a physical state, a practice devised for longevity, that you can attain through training in breathing patterns, sensory cues, movement or stillness, visual anchors, and personalized rituals. Mantras can be helpful when paired with a strategy rather than on their own or as a meaningless slogan. For example, I have added monthly mantras to my current running strategy to focus on the run and the rhythm of the run. Tranquility is a lifestyle, a system, a tool that evolves, and a map of the inner and outer spaces where you can seek calm so that you can rest and recover. The lesson from the Seinfeld episode is that George and Kramer didn’t fail at serenity because they were hopelessly neurotic. They failed because they tried to force serenity through denial instead of through design, reflection, and habit-building.
Amazon Review, Canada 27 October 2025: Marie-Pier Cote - 5 stars I didn’t realize how much my environment affected my stress until I read this book. Tranquility Mapping helped me slow down and actually notice the spaces around me. Martina Nicolls explains things in such a calm, thoughtful way that you can almost feel your shoulders drop while reading. The mapping exercises were surprisingly fun, and I’ve already created a small “quiet corner” at home that I use every morning. It’s practical, creative, and gentle! Perfect for anyone who feels overstimulated or scattered. What I loved most is that it doesn’t preach; it simply guides you back to your own sense of peace.
Can’t see the whole article? Want to view the original article? Want to view more articles? Go to Martina’s Substack: The Stories in You and Me More Paris articles are in my Paris website The Paris Residences of James Joyce You're currently a free subscriber to The Stories in You and Me . For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
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What a lot of noise – white noise, pink noise, green noise, and brown noise!
… not every noise is grating … some noises are intended to be soothing … ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ...
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thealchemistspottery posted: " "I shall pass through this world but once.If therefore, there be any kindness I can sho...
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Stimulate the body to calm the mind Cross Fit for the Mind The Newsletter that Changes the Minds of High Performers If overstimulation is th...
