The one who talks too much for fear of silence

Welcome to “Almost No Filter”, the podcast where I share my almost-forty-something chronicles, between life reflections, daily struggles and small realizations. Here, we talk about everything that is part of our journey: the ups, the downs, the doubts, and even the moments when we feel like we've got it all wrong. The goal? To be as honest as possible with ourselves and with you, without filter or pretension. Because we're all a bit in the same boat, trying to understand what makes us move forward, or sometimes what makes us go round in circles. So, relax and let yourself be carried away. Let's go!

You know that weird thing you do without realizing it: you talk too much, too fast, all the time... and it's not always to share amazing ideas. No, it's often to avoid hearing the silence. Because silence, you never know how to handle it. It makes you doubt, makes you feel vulnerable, makes you think about what you could have said or what other people really think of you.

So you fill the air with words. Anecdotes, stories, jokes... everything, except this emptiness that terrifies you a little. You speak so quickly that you stumble over your sentences, repeating the same idea twice without realizing it. But you continue, because speaking is protecting yourself.

And sometimes it's funny. Your friends stop, look at you, and smile, a little amused, a little exasperated. “Wow, take a breath!” You laugh with them, but deep down, you know it's your coping mechanism: filling every pause so you don't feel the emptiness, that moment when maybe you should be listening, or just being there, silent.

But what you gradually discover is that silence is not your enemy. That staying there, listening, smelling the air, looking at someone without speaking… it's a gift. And that by letting the conversation breathe, you realize that speaking less can sometimes say more. That your words become stronger, more accurate, and that silence is no longer frightening but filled with meaning.

So you try. You breathe in, you speak more slowly, you let the silences settle in. And you observe: others adapt, listening becomes real, and you no longer need to fill every second with words to exist. Because you now know that your existence is not measured by the quantity of your words, but by their presence and their sincerity.