If the World is Just Too Loud
By: Kelly Eden
Tags: Introvert, Self Development, Highly Sensitive People, Self, Personality

My neighbor bought a new stereo and it’s loud. Booming bass, can’t-hear-myself-think loud. I think anyone would find it bad but what makes it particularly so for me is that I’m a Highly Sensitive Person — one of the 15–20% of people whose nervous systems process emotions and physical sensations deeply. My neighbor finds the volume of his music invigorating; I find it completely overwhelming.

The whole world feels dialed-up when you’re a highly sensitive person. People shout to hear themselves in restaurants, cars rattle past in a continuous stream, electronics hum, beep and whir…even in quiet areas, there’s never complete silence.

High Sensitivity (or Sensory-Processing Sensitivity — it’s scientific term) is a normal trait that around 1 in 5 of us are born with. (It’s not a disorder or a sign of weakness.)

Highly Sensitive People:

Process emotions, thoughts, and their environment deeply.

Get overstimulated more easily.

Have high empathy/ very tuned into emotions.

Are sensitive to subtleties — notice small details that others might not.

There are self-tests for HSP at Dr. Elain Aron’s website. (She is a lead researcher in high sensitivity.)

As highly sensitive people, we need to learn to manage the over-stimulation of constant noise — the world is not getting quieter any time soon!

Stress reduces a highly sensitive person’s noise tolerance

When I’m feeling stressed, my tolerance of noise reduces dramatically. Being overtired, sick, or emotional also reduces my ability to handle noise.

Managing stress for a HSP involves monitoring our people contact time. Too much time around others can be overwhelming, especially in crowded or loud places such as at parties, malls, busy restaurants, big workplaces, large churches, or events.

It also pays to give ourselves more time to process thoughts and emotions. If we don’t get enough time for this we can become stressed pretty quickly. I like to journal to process big emotions or talk them over one-on-one with someone who listens well.

Creating quiet spaces is essential for highly sensitive people

Quiet spaces are not a luxury, they are essential for HSP, but creating them can be difficult. I can hear my neighbors music no matter where I am in my home. I also have a busy family. It’s not always easy to get away from the noise.

In my old house, I had a small internal walk-in wardrobe which was relatively sound-proof. I would sit in there and read, write in my journal, think, or pray. If you have a quiet space in your house claim it as yours. HSP need quiet time almost daily, so it’s important to prioritize making a space available.

If you live near a quiet beach, forest, or other natural space then that’s ideal. Spending in time in nature has been shown to have many benefits for our health and is an amazing stress reducer.

But what if you don’t have access to a quiet space?

You can reduce other sensory overload. Make your space as visually de-cluttered and calm as you can. Get comfortable. Meditate or pray to calm your thoughts (thoughts can get loud for a HSP too). Burn soothing essential oils or candles that you like. Have a massage.

You can shift your focus. Sometimes when we focus on how loud or annoying a noise is, it appears even louder. Playing your favourite music, listening to a podcast you enjoy, watching a movie — creating your own noise — can reduce the emotional effect of troublesome noise.

You can use technology. Wireless noise-cancelling headphones mean you can walk around listening to sounds of your own choice while blocking out unwanted noise. These are definitely an item on my wish list!