If silence with yourself feels awkward, that’s not a sign to fill it. It’s a sign to get to know the person in it.

Discomfort in your own quiet is usually unfamiliarity rather than a signal that something is wrong. If the silence is rarely visited, then whoever turns up in it is a bit of a stranger, and the first instinct is to reach for sound and end the introduction early. The awkwardness fades with exposure, like most awkwardness does.

Stay in it a little past the point where you want to reach for something. Ten minutes is plenty at first. Repeat it a few times this week and notice how much shorter the uncomfortable part gets each time.