Sensitivity to noise and a panic attack this evening

[Judy2]

Hey:)

i don't want to be annoying but it would be nice if someone could help me calm down.

this was sort of unexpected because i haven't really cried a lot or been super unwell in the past few months.

i'm generally sensitive to noise and i have a new neighbour who is a musician and he's also generally quite noisy so i can sometimes hear him tidying up (not just for 20min but being noisy and basically rearranging furniture for 1h+, god knows why) in his apartment nextdoor.

i'm also struggling with food and getting anxious when i don't know if people will be quiet in the hallway when i try to have my meals....and then i do need to eat but it feels bad if things aren't quiet around (eating disorder related).

this afternoon i was supposed to keep working on my thesis (in itself an immense source of stress and it is difficult to manage myself in that area regardless of external circumstances) but given the circumstances i couldn't do my work and just tried to distract myself and watched YouTube videos....had already gone out for a long walk earlier today and at some point at night i do need to go to bed. and then i didn't really notice and thought it was just moderate anxiety but after several hours i felt so unsafe and vulnerable because of the constant tapping and singing that i just wanted to get up and get my razor and hurt myself a little because maybe that would make me feel safe....and then i didn't because before i got to get up i just started sobbing and hyperventilating for a few minutes. 

idk where to go because i haven't been with my family in 5 years and they're definitely not a safe environment, i could go to my grandma but that's also tricky at times, and staying here in the flat means i've got this constant source of noise (=anxiety) in the hallway which i don't seem to handle well.

 

sorry if this is a mess.

Edited Thursday at 09:36 PM by Judy2

[integral]

- noise cancelling headset

- wax earplugs

- sound blocking heavy door curtain

- eat a large meal, calming hormones, under eating causes anxiety

- sleep more

- go to a gym with your plugs on, fixes hormones

- remove all scented products, chemical, soaps, detergent from your environment, breathe the clean as possible. All scented products cause stimulation and anxiety.

Edited Thursday at 09:30 PM by integral

[Judy2]

and the thing with the noise is something i also experience around family. i think it causes an intense sense of vulnerability because there is nothing i can do to protect myself and people just get right at me and through me and into me and into my emotions and head and body...headphones don't help at all. and it just makes me so anxious, which is no one's fault but idk what to do about it.

i have been in this flat for almost five years and until recently, noise wasn't that much of an issue. now it's suddenly a huge deal, idk if i've changed or if the other people in the hall have changed.

[Judy2]

  On 3/27/2025 at 9:26 PM, integral said:

- sleep more

That's like another point where i'm hyperaware of how vulnerable i am...when i'm on the verge of falling asleep and then people are noisy during a time when i know i need to rest.

Edited Thursday at 09:30 PM by Judy2

[Judy2]

  On 3/27/2025 at 9:26 PM, integral said:

- noise cancelling headset

- wax earplugs

Hm i've tried these but then i hear sort of muffled, indistinct sounds which is probably even worse because i know there's something going on outside but i am not fully aware of what it is

[integral]

Remove all scented products, chemical, soaps, laundry detergent from your environment, breathe the cleanest possible. All scented products cause stimulation and anxiety.

all of the stuff you have is likely scented in various ways and it must be cleaned or removed.

Edited Thursday at 09:33 PM by integral

[integral]

  On 3/27/2025 at 9:32 PM, Judy2 said:

Hm i've tried these but then i hear sort of muffled, indistinct sounds which is probably even worse because i know there's something going on outside but i am not fully aware of what it is

The problem is not all in your head. It’s a biological issue that is undiagnosed.

something is causing unnatural stimulation and neurological issues

making it hard for you to remain relaxed, like everyone else

Edited Thursday at 09:36 PM by integral

[Yimpa]

  On 3/27/2025 at 9:22 PM, Judy2 said:

sorry if this is a mess.

No need to be sorry at all. My partner is also hypersensitive to their environment. I used to shame people and tell them that they were just hearing things and making shit up; I was wrong.

[Judy2]

@integral do you know what kind of biological issue? do you think it's related to psychological stuff or (at least originally) a separate neurological thing?

[integral]

  On 3/27/2025 at 9:38 PM, Judy2 said:

@integral do you know what kind of biological issue? do you think it's related to psychological stuff or (at least originally) a separate neurological thing?

You would have to experiment but very thoroughly to figure out what exactly is the source of the issue.

I strongly believe you might have allergies that are putting you in this state.

The issue is this allergin is chronic and you’re chronically exposed to it 24/7 even while sleeping.

This keeps you in a state of neuroticism.

—-

I personally have a long history starting from birth of hypersensitivity and resolved it later in life by realizing my issue was environmental exposure and not a problem with psychology.

Edited Thursday at 09:45 PM by integral

[Beans]

I strongly advocate for headphones 

[Judy2]

@integral okay i haven't considered that before...might be worth looking into this

Edited Thursday at 09:46 PM by Judy2

[Yimpa]

It’s like the voices get stuck in your head, a beautiful melody that inspires you to dance in your beauty 

[Judy2]

  On 3/27/2025 at 9:43 PM, Beans said:

I strongly advocate for headphones 

yes i mean i have of course tried that, but that doesn't block out the noise entirely and sometimes that makes it even worse for me

[Yimpa]

  On 3/27/2025 at 9:50 PM, Judy2 said:

yes i mean i have of course tried that, but that doesn't block out the noise entirely and sometimes that makes it even worse for me

Same here, it’s like an added pressure on my head. 

[integral]

Perfume makes me hallucinate and have thousands of random voices in my head.

For most of my life, I thought I had insane psychological problems that would come and go randomly.

And then I discovered it was actually an allergy.

If you guys have ADHD or any kind of neurological issue, you really have to examine your environment and your exposure

[Judy2]

i think i may have had too much caffeine today...maybe that had something to do with it

[Judy2]

@integral so you're mainly allergic to perfume?

[integral]

  On 3/27/2025 at 10:00 PM, Judy2 said:

i think i may have had too much caffeine today...maybe that had something to do with it

  On 3/27/2025 at 10:02 PM, Judy2 said:

@integral so you're mainly allergic to perfume?

People with anxiety disorders should not be drinking coffee… lol

So coffee causes stimulation this you’ve recognized within yourself but many other things cause stimulation so it’s compounding in your body.

Perfume specifically for me causes a different type of stimulation one that shows up as hallucinations, but everything you inhale stimulates the body in a different way.

Anxiety is the body overloaded by stimulation and stress, and then all it takes is a feather to set off the panic attack

[Judy2]

@integral yeah i felt a bit stupid when i realised that it was probably the caffeine...oops