Modern life is so bloody noisy. My whole life is one huge cocophony of noise, and it drives me mad. There, I said it.
As an only child, I grew up very used to my own company and without the need for constant noise or conversation. I learned to become very happy spending time alone and have no problem not having any interaction with other people for long periods of time. However, finding the space to do that is increasingly difficult.
I have a busy job and a busy life. I have a hobby which in itself is about as noisy as it gets. I commute, work in an open plan space and am constantly connected to my telephone and email. My husband is the noisiest person I know. Jaysus, let’s face it, I’m noisy. Yet, as I have got older my dislike of noise is increasing. Anyone who knows me and especially anyone who shares any time with me know how irritated I become by noise (and how apoplectic whistling makes me – but that’s a whole different story!). I’ve even taken to the internet to self-diagnose myself with Misophonia. Maybe a bit extreme but there are some markers in there!
But is it possible to turn down the noise? Is it possible, or desirable, to detoxify ourselves from all the constant chatter and sound in our lives? And if it is, how much better would we all feel for it? For me, the ‘white’ noise of the internet – Twitter, Fcebook, Blogs – is preferable, because it’s not aural and I don’t have to listen to it. That’s probably why I spend so much time online. I’ve pretty much given up being interested in anything on the TV and I can’t watch a film – yet I can spend hours reading online, becoming engrossed in other peoples ‘conversations’ and brain farts. Because I don’t actually have to ‘listen’ to them, and it’s bitesize information. But conversely, I’m finding reading a book increasingly difficult – as the headspace required to focus on it keeps getting distracted by other ‘noise’.
But you can’t switch off from life – noise is a constant, and increasing part of the everyday. So I suppose it boils down to finding ways of dealing with it. I can’t see that there are many options on the commute – other than some nice soothing music (more noise, but at least I get to choose it!). The job I do involves being very connected all day, so that’s not an option. Therefore, the most impact I can have on my desire for peace and quiet is at home. Finding the balance with that, and not ignoring my other half will be a challenge, but I’m determined to give it a go. For my own peace of mind 🙂
