Re: Could this really make things worse?

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

So lovely to see some fresh replies whenever I come online! I'm glad I'm not the

only one who feels that the home should be their private environment. The world

is noisy and I want my home to provide a sanctuary from that. I don't actually

mind the noisiness of the outside world (except for loud music in cars, that

always gets my goat!!) Yes, I always feel the need to investigate an unknown

noise when I'm in the house. When my boyfriend came to visit over Christmas, he

found this quite upsetting because I always went to look for the origin of the

noise. This is something I have to work on, the uncertainty of it all. I think

what I need to do is embrace noise in my own way. I enjoy loud music played in

my ipod, I would never bother anyone else with it so if the dogs are barking,

perhaps I'll play music really loudly in my ipod (though not dangerously loudly)

so that instead of blocking noise, I am embracing noise I enjoy.

I was actually thinking of making this a separate post but I might as well post

it here. I live on a main road and a hill and the traffic going by doesn't

bother me but loud cars or those that accelerate really fast and are loud always

scare me. What I wondered is, would it be possible to somehow 'turn down' the

noise? Would it be possible that if I played pink noise at a very loud (but

bearable) level for a couple of hours a day that somehow, this would habituate

me to loud noises so they wouldn't demand my attention every time I heard them?

What do you guys think? xxx

> >

> > This is similar to my own experience. I used earplugs last year to avoid

having to endure my neighbour's loud television but started to become so reliant

on them that I was scared to remove them when I left the house and used them

when I was driving though this was no good as it almost became an out-of-body

experience when I knew I was driving but couldn't hear anything. At the moment

though, because of my exams I am more prone to anxiety than normal and so every

continuous intrusive noise I hear, I immediately think it's going to affect my

exam performance and so using the white noise (or rather, pink noise) shields me

from that, though I know it's not a long-term plan. I miss hearing the birds

singing when I'm studying, it makes it seem a little less serious somehow, but

the dog's barking is unbearable.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

So lovely to see some fresh replies whenever I come online! I'm glad I'm not the

only one who feels that the home should be their private environment. The world

is noisy and I want my home to provide a sanctuary from that. I don't actually

mind the noisiness of the outside world (except for loud music in cars, that

always gets my goat!!) Yes, I always feel the need to investigate an unknown

noise when I'm in the house. When my boyfriend came to visit over Christmas, he

found this quite upsetting because I always went to look for the origin of the

noise. This is something I have to work on, the uncertainty of it all. I think

what I need to do is embrace noise in my own way. I enjoy loud music played in

my ipod, I would never bother anyone else with it so if the dogs are barking,

perhaps I'll play music really loudly in my ipod (though not dangerously loudly)

so that instead of blocking noise, I am embracing noise I enjoy.

I was actually thinking of making this a separate post but I might as well post

it here. I live on a main road and a hill and the traffic going by doesn't

bother me but loud cars or those that accelerate really fast and are loud always

scare me. What I wondered is, would it be possible to somehow 'turn down' the

noise? Would it be possible that if I played pink noise at a very loud (but

bearable) level for a couple of hours a day that somehow, this would habituate

me to loud noises so they wouldn't demand my attention every time I heard them?

What do you guys think? xxx

> >

> > This is similar to my own experience. I used earplugs last year to avoid

having to endure my neighbour's loud television but started to become so reliant

on them that I was scared to remove them when I left the house and used them

when I was driving though this was no good as it almost became an out-of-body

experience when I knew I was driving but couldn't hear anything. At the moment

though, because of my exams I am more prone to anxiety than normal and so every

continuous intrusive noise I hear, I immediately think it's going to affect my

exam performance and so using the white noise (or rather, pink noise) shields me

from that, though I know it's not a long-term plan. I miss hearing the birds

singing when I'm studying, it makes it seem a little less serious somehow, but

the dog's barking is unbearable.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Yes. If our home is where we expect to recharge our emotional batteries and

recover from the outside world, then we are going to be that much more sensitive

to unwelcome sounds.

I react to fluorescent lights in my office at work, but not to fluorescents

elsewhere. When I am working, I am trying to screen out more sensations in order

to concentrate, and so I notice the fluorescents more. A person may need quiet

in order to think (e.g. doing homework), but not need it just to walk to the

shops. At least, I walk to the shops with my mind in " idle mode " !

I suspect something similar is going on at home. When we are trying to wind

down, triggers are more frustrating.

>

> I think a lot of people find noise more intrusive when their in their own

homes. I'm the same way. I think its because our home is supposed to be 'our'

place, private and safe. A place where we are in control. But, as is life, we

can't control everything.

[Guest guest]

Yes. If our home is where we expect to recharge our emotional batteries and

recover from the outside world, then we are going to be that much more sensitive

to unwelcome sounds.

I react to fluorescent lights in my office at work, but not to fluorescents

elsewhere. When I am working, I am trying to screen out more sensations in order

to concentrate, and so I notice the fluorescents more. A person may need quiet

in order to think (e.g. doing homework), but not need it just to walk to the

shops. At least, I walk to the shops with my mind in " idle mode " !

I suspect something similar is going on at home. When we are trying to wind

down, triggers are more frustrating.

>

> I think a lot of people find noise more intrusive when their in their own

homes. I'm the same way. I think its because our home is supposed to be 'our'

place, private and safe. A place where we are in control. But, as is life, we

can't control everything.

[Guest guest]

, I think its a good idea to embrace sounds/noise that you really love.

Too often with this condition I think people start to think of all sound as an

enemy, which it is not. As far as the loud cars... it sounds like you have a

pretty good startle reflex. Some people are just more prone to jumping at

unexpected loud noises than others, and it may or may not have to do with 4S.

Were you a jumpy person before living where you are now? The reason I ask is

that where you are now, you have to deal with the stress of the dogs barking and

pressure from exams. Heightened anxiety makes you more prone to be jumpy at

anything. I would suggest you just experiment with sound, either pink noise

playing, or music, etc... See what works and what makes you happy. Perhaps

instead of playing them on your iPod, you could play them on an external device

such as a cd player. That way you could still hear those cars but they wouldn't

appear as loud. Then you can tell yourself that hearing those cars is ok, and

remain calm in the process. I'm just thinking out loud really... just some ideas

>

> Hi all,

> So lovely to see some fresh replies whenever I come online! I'm glad I'm not

the only one who feels that the home should be their private environment. The

world is noisy and I want my home to provide a sanctuary from that. I don't

actually mind the noisiness of the outside world (except for loud music in cars,

that always gets my goat!!) Yes, I always feel the need to investigate an

unknown noise when I'm in the house. When my boyfriend came to visit over

Christmas, he found this quite upsetting because I always went to look for the

origin of the noise. This is something I have to work on, the uncertainty of it

all. I think what I need to do is embrace noise in my own way. I enjoy loud

music played in my ipod, I would never bother anyone else with it so if the dogs

are barking, perhaps I'll play music really loudly in my ipod (though not

dangerously loudly) so that instead of blocking noise, I am embracing noise I

enjoy.

>

> I was actually thinking of making this a separate post but I might as well

post it here. I live on a main road and a hill and the traffic going by doesn't

bother me but loud cars or those that accelerate really fast and are loud always

scare me. What I wondered is, would it be possible to somehow 'turn down' the

noise? Would it be possible that if I played pink noise at a very loud (but

bearable) level for a couple of hours a day that somehow, this would habituate

me to loud noises so they wouldn't demand my attention every time I heard them?

What do you guys think? xxx

>

[Guest guest]

, I think its a good idea to embrace sounds/noise that you really love.

Too often with this condition I think people start to think of all sound as an

enemy, which it is not. As far as the loud cars... it sounds like you have a

pretty good startle reflex. Some people are just more prone to jumping at

unexpected loud noises than others, and it may or may not have to do with 4S.

Were you a jumpy person before living where you are now? The reason I ask is

that where you are now, you have to deal with the stress of the dogs barking and

pressure from exams. Heightened anxiety makes you more prone to be jumpy at

anything. I would suggest you just experiment with sound, either pink noise

playing, or music, etc... See what works and what makes you happy. Perhaps

instead of playing them on your iPod, you could play them on an external device

such as a cd player. That way you could still hear those cars but they wouldn't

appear as loud. Then you can tell yourself that hearing those cars is ok, and

remain calm in the process. I'm just thinking out loud really... just some ideas

>

> Hi all,

> So lovely to see some fresh replies whenever I come online! I'm glad I'm not

the only one who feels that the home should be their private environment. The

world is noisy and I want my home to provide a sanctuary from that. I don't

actually mind the noisiness of the outside world (except for loud music in cars,

that always gets my goat!!) Yes, I always feel the need to investigate an

unknown noise when I'm in the house. When my boyfriend came to visit over

Christmas, he found this quite upsetting because I always went to look for the

origin of the noise. This is something I have to work on, the uncertainty of it

all. I think what I need to do is embrace noise in my own way. I enjoy loud

music played in my ipod, I would never bother anyone else with it so if the dogs

are barking, perhaps I'll play music really loudly in my ipod (though not

dangerously loudly) so that instead of blocking noise, I am embracing noise I

enjoy.

>

> I was actually thinking of making this a separate post but I might as well

post it here. I live on a main road and a hill and the traffic going by doesn't

bother me but loud cars or those that accelerate really fast and are loud always

scare me. What I wondered is, would it be possible to somehow 'turn down' the

noise? Would it be possible that if I played pink noise at a very loud (but

bearable) level for a couple of hours a day that somehow, this would habituate

me to loud noises so they wouldn't demand my attention every time I heard them?

What do you guys think? xxx

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Darlene,

I have always been hypervigilent to an extent, but never to this extent. Things

do make me jump when I'm at home. When I was living with my parents I was ok,

but now I'm living alone, it seems so much worse, as if I constantly need to be

on my guard and I jump whenever I hear a neighbour bang a door etc. I think the

fact that I'm at uni and doing exams heightens this because I really want to do

well this year and don't want to have to experience the anxiety of the

neighbour's dog (which is howling just now). When my boyfriend is here, my

startle reflex seems even worse, I'm not sure if it's because I want to protect

him too or that I feel I have to somehow be less anxious or he'll think I'm

totally neurotic (which I'm sure he thinks anyway). The cars are a little easier

to deal with than the dog but they still make me jump and my mind races. I think

you're right about heightened anxiety. I'm starting a mindfulness course in a

couple of days and I'm hoping this will help a little...

> >

> > Hi all,

> > So lovely to see some fresh replies whenever I come online! I'm glad I'm not

the only one who feels that the home should be their private environment. The

world is noisy and I want my home to provide a sanctuary from that. I don't

actually mind the noisiness of the outside world (except for loud music in cars,

that always gets my goat!!) Yes, I always feel the need to investigate an

unknown noise when I'm in the house. When my boyfriend came to visit over

Christmas, he found this quite upsetting because I always went to look for the

origin of the noise. This is something I have to work on, the uncertainty of it

all. I think what I need to do is embrace noise in my own way. I enjoy loud

music played in my ipod, I would never bother anyone else with it so if the dogs

are barking, perhaps I'll play music really loudly in my ipod (though not

dangerously loudly) so that instead of blocking noise, I am embracing noise I

enjoy.

> >

> > I was actually thinking of making this a separate post but I might as well

post it here. I live on a main road and a hill and the traffic going by doesn't

bother me but loud cars or those that accelerate really fast and are loud always

scare me. What I wondered is, would it be possible to somehow 'turn down' the

noise? Would it be possible that if I played pink noise at a very loud (but

bearable) level for a couple of hours a day that somehow, this would habituate

me to loud noises so they wouldn't demand my attention every time I heard them?

What do you guys think? xxx

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Darlene,

I have always been hypervigilent to an extent, but never to this extent. Things

do make me jump when I'm at home. When I was living with my parents I was ok,

but now I'm living alone, it seems so much worse, as if I constantly need to be

on my guard and I jump whenever I hear a neighbour bang a door etc. I think the

fact that I'm at uni and doing exams heightens this because I really want to do

well this year and don't want to have to experience the anxiety of the

neighbour's dog (which is howling just now). When my boyfriend is here, my

startle reflex seems even worse, I'm not sure if it's because I want to protect

him too or that I feel I have to somehow be less anxious or he'll think I'm

totally neurotic (which I'm sure he thinks anyway). The cars are a little easier

to deal with than the dog but they still make me jump and my mind races. I think

you're right about heightened anxiety. I'm starting a mindfulness course in a

couple of days and I'm hoping this will help a little...

> >

> > Hi all,

> > So lovely to see some fresh replies whenever I come online! I'm glad I'm not

the only one who feels that the home should be their private environment. The

world is noisy and I want my home to provide a sanctuary from that. I don't

actually mind the noisiness of the outside world (except for loud music in cars,

that always gets my goat!!) Yes, I always feel the need to investigate an

unknown noise when I'm in the house. When my boyfriend came to visit over

Christmas, he found this quite upsetting because I always went to look for the

origin of the noise. This is something I have to work on, the uncertainty of it

all. I think what I need to do is embrace noise in my own way. I enjoy loud

music played in my ipod, I would never bother anyone else with it so if the dogs

are barking, perhaps I'll play music really loudly in my ipod (though not

dangerously loudly) so that instead of blocking noise, I am embracing noise I

enjoy.

> >

> > I was actually thinking of making this a separate post but I might as well

post it here. I live on a main road and a hill and the traffic going by doesn't

bother me but loud cars or those that accelerate really fast and are loud always

scare me. What I wondered is, would it be possible to somehow 'turn down' the

noise? Would it be possible that if I played pink noise at a very loud (but

bearable) level for a couple of hours a day that somehow, this would habituate

me to loud noises so they wouldn't demand my attention every time I heard them?

What do you guys think? xxx

> >

>