When the World Is Just Too Loud

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 I don't know about you, but I can totally identify with the family in this picture! Now, I would certainly never sit where they're sitting, but sometimes the world can feel like this in even common situations. I mentioned in a post a few days ago that I struggle with light sensitivity. I also have a hard time with noise. This can be an extreme thing, like a concert (or any given Sunday at our church), or something as simple as a fan or water running. It takes on two presentations: I can't hear or process things well if there is background noise and lots of noise tends to overwhelm me and make me shut down. 

 What do I mean by shut down? It was really extreme before my brain surgery last year. We were at Disney World celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary and the noise/stimulation got to be so much that my brain just turned off a couple of times. I would stop mid-sentence and stare off into space, not doing anything more than breathing. A minute, or more, later I would pick up right where I had left off like nothing had happened. This scared my husband more than a little as I'm sure you can imagine! Today, this presents a little less dramatically. I struggle with big stores, like Costco. All the people going in different directions, with carts, and lights, and all the products, and trying to keep my own list straight, and... and I get overwhelmed. My husband will notice me start to walk noticeably slower. I have to hold onto the cart, or to my husband, for grounding (that's a little trick I've learned!). He even says I start to look scared. I can't attest to that as I've never thought to take a selfie in that situation, but I believe him. 

 Another big trigger for this is family gatherings. I ADORE my family, but there are a lot of us! When those kids get to chasing each other and wrestling and getting in trouble for chasing and wrestling, it can get really loud. We have gotten together almost every Friday night for the last 25 years. I'm not missing Grandma Night if I can avoid it! But how do I cope with the hyperstimulation? The same way I can go shopping at Costco with my husband (if it's not the holiday season - that's a whole nother thing).

 These two small bits of plastic can change your world. They are not noise-cancelling, they do not press "mute", but they are noise-diminishing. When I wear these, the four other conversations that are happening next to me, and the dishes being done in the next room, and the kids chasing the dog all have their volumes turned down. I can hear the people right next to me just fine, even better actually. These are called Loop Switch 2 Adjustable Ear Plugs. I chose these because they are a combination of three different Loop earplugs: Quiet, Experience, and Engage. While the Loop Switch 2 Adjustable Ear Plugs are more expensive than the other three, they cost less than two of them and do the job of all 3. I also didn't have to keep track of three different pairs for different situations. Full transparency, the ones I use are the Loop Switch Earplugs, an older version that is now more expensive than its newer counterpart. That's why I linked the version 2 above.

 Stimulation can be overwhelming to some people. I've read that this is particularly true for people on the Autistic spectrum. It can come at you through all your senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. When Highly Sensitive People (HSPs) experience a lot through our senses, it can cause us to shut down, or even lash out. I think I've snapped at my family way more than they've deserved over the years because I just didn't understand this. My rose-colored glasses and my Loop Earplugs help me a lot with managing stimulation, but much more important is just becoming aware of the issue in the first place. It wasn't until I was in my 40s that I caught on, and I'm still very much learning. 

Here's the Thing: We can't help when we learn something, but once we do, we are now accountable for it. I know that these tools help, so I need to keep them with me, but I also know how high-stimulation situations affect me. I have to choose to Live Within My Limits.