Loud + Crowded places
Anxiety can be an extremely sensory-related disorder. When those senses become overwhelmed, super normal situations can become physically paralyzing.
You’re one of the first customers in a coffee shop one morning, and everything is calm. The only sounds you hear are the exhaust from the espresso maker and the energy of a few others waking up. Groups of people begin to come in. They slide their butts against your table to sit on booths. The espresso maker is now screeching. People are waking up all around you, but they’re doing it loudly and in sharp pitches and there’s no stopping them. You suddenly notice how wobbly your own table is, how your mug has been salivating green tea in rings all over your table and you’ve been bathing your elbows in it for god knows how long. Everyone is staring at you. Staring and judging and whispering their judgments to each other. Your breath picks up the pace of the clock on the wall, whose ticks have gone from silent to full volume.
You’re a sardine in a car of people who you love. And the people you love also love to talk — they love to talk at all different volumes. They’re talking past each other and interrupting and nothing makes sense and you’re caught wondering if this even constitutes as conversation and you can’t add anything to it because there are no breaks and the thought of someone interrupting you at full volume ignites a hint of anger in you. The GPS says there’s a solid hour left of the ride. You wish you had just stayed naive because the sense of time now feels dreadfully longer and even more inescapable.
Mindset:
Ground yourself in knowing that you’re safe. Think back to what the space is like without people, and know that the people who came in since are just experiencing the same space in their different ways; they’re not your responsibility and you don’t have to control the chaos of conversation or noise.
Mouthpiece:
Breathe in through your nose for three seconds, hold for three, out through your mouth for three. Do this until you can feel your senses calm down.
Follow your feet:
Take a break from the stimulation or change your physical perspective. Ask someone to watch your stuff and go to the bathroom or go somewhere in the shop to refill water or throw out trash where you can still see your table. In a car, focus on something outside like the trees you’re passing — sometimes I like to count the trees or number of white houses I see and it takes the mind elsewhere.
Overall tip: In stimulating situations, I find the app “White Noise” incredibly helpful. It’s a free app where you can listen to all types of sounds and it’s available on any smart device. My favorite is the “Brown noise” selection on it, which blocks out both base and high-pitched sounds.
I am not a mental health professional — each post is meant to provide 3 tips that have helped me through everyday situations with anxiety. Please seek professional help if you need it.