Silent retreats & digital detox:
Switch off, arrive - and land with yourself

You sleep badly. Your head is constantly "on". Even at the gym, your mind is racing. And when you want to calm down, you automatically reach for your smartphone. Does this sound familiar? Then you're not alone. Constant stress, digital sensory overload and a life in non-stop running mode are part of everyday life for many people today. And although we have the vague feeling that it's "too much", we keep going. Until the body goes on strike. Or the inner emptiness becomes louder than any deadline pressure.

Neurobiologists and stress researchers agree: our nervous system is not designed to be on alert around the clock. But that's exactly what happens when we are constantly available, jumping between appointments, reacting to messages and have the feeling that we can't miss anything. The sympathetic nervous system, our "stress nerve", runs at full speed - and suppresses the rest processes that we urgently need: deep breathing, restful sleep, cell repair, emotional processing.

Many people don't even realise that they are permanently in survival mode. They function, but they don't really live - and above all, they no longer regenerate. What falls by the wayside in the long term is not only physical recovery, but also mental stability. Because if you never get to rest, sooner or later you will lose your inner balance. The consequences are gradual: sleep disorders, chronic tension, irritability, poor decision-making - and a feeling of exhaustion that can hardly be dispelled by holidays or leisure time.

The solution is not an expensive organic smoothie or a new date in the diary. It is conscious nothingness. Silence. The space in which there is no input from outside - finally creating space for what wants to be heard within ourselves. This is exactly where silent retreats come in. They are like an emergency brake for the nervous system. A protected setting in which nothing has to happen - but a lot is allowed. No talking. No scrolling. No pressure to perform.

And while this may sound like too much for many people at first, something amazing usually begins to happen after just a few hours: your breathing deepens. Thoughts become more organised. The view widens - not outwards, but inwards. A feeling of space, expanse and presence arises. And at some point it is suddenly there: this quiet but powerful force that you have ignored for far too long. Your own inner voice.

A central component of many retreats is the deliberate renunciation of digital devices. No Wi-Fi, no emails, no push notifications. What initially seems like withdrawal often becomes the greatest gift. Because our brains are not made for constant bombardment. Every beep, every new image, every brief distraction costs energy - more than we realise. If you put down your mobile phone, you also put away the constant evaluation. The comparison. The constant reacting.

Instead, a process begins that can hardly be planned, but is deeply effective. After a silent retreat, many people report an unexpected clarity, inner deceleration and even physical lightness. Focus returns. Creativity awakens. After days of silence, some make decisions that they have been putting off for months. Not out of pressure - but out of a newfound trust in their own intuition.

For people who achieve a lot. For those who lead or support others. For athletes, creative people, busy people. In short: for anyone who can no longer hear themselves properly in the din of everyday life. You don't need any prior knowledge, meditation experience or an esoteric streak. Just the willingness not to run away when it gets quiet. Because: In the silence, not only the answers emerge - but often also the right questions.

More and more hotels are recognising this deep desire for retreat, reduction and genuine relaxation. They offer consciously designed rooms without digital distractions, gentle programmes with meditation, breathwork, yoga or forest bathing - but above all one thing: a protected setting for genuine inner peace. Those who get involved not only come back refreshed - but changed.

Not louder, not faster, not better. But clearer. Lighter. More connected with yourself.