Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Life As An Introvert: Dealing With Noise

I hate the noise of my mobile phone at first, when it came to "beep..beep..beep..beep..beep.." constantly, my head was like pounded over and over. That's why I turn off all the notification on my iPhone but I check it regularly for any messages that come.

I hate the noise when people calling me "te..te..te..te..te..te..kate..te..te..te..kate.." constantly, my head was like banged onto the wall. That's why I answer quickly when someone calls me to avoid the annoying noise or simply plug the ear phone and pretend I don't hear any.

I hate the noise when all of office telephones at several rooms ringing together "kriing..kriing..kriing..kriing..kriing.." constantly, my head was hurt. That's why I go out to the front office every morning around 8am to avoid the noises.

I hate the noise of my morning alarm "tet..tet..tet..tet..tet..tet..tet.." constantly, it could lead to a severe migraine for the whole day. That's why I changed my alarm noise with calming song.

It is the condition which is characterized by an extreme sensitivity to noise. I suffer a variety of stress and anxiety related emotions when I am exposed to certain types of noises. These emotions can range from a general sense of uneasiness to aggression. Living with noise anxiety can be extremely frustrating and the condition can be difficult to treat. My Councillor said that it should be assisted by skilled therapist, but I don't choose that. I choose to avoid it if it's still possible. I am not that extreme though.

I have written in this blog that I hate loud noises, I can't stand when children were crying loudly. My Councillor said that I am probably phonophobia; a fear of loud noises. A condition sometimes called misophonia; an intolerance to certain sounds, usually causing an intense reaction like rage. Hyperacusis; which can have many causes, is an over-sensitivity to noises in a certain auditory range, sometimes causing pain or stress.

There was a time when I heard my friends' loud mobile phone ringtone, I cried. I suddenly did cry with my both hands covered my ears.

It does not mean I am not normal. I believe several introverts are with me right now, feeling the same. So far, what I do to handle this is, just avoid loud places, answer quickly when someone calls me, turn off the notification on mobile phone while keep checking it regularly for the important messages, bring ear phone and iPod/iPhone everywhere to escape myself with calming songs. There's always first time to experience those painful noises, however, I know we are that smart to avoid everything we don't like and we can't adapt of.

Life as an introvert will be continued...