I've started wearing earplugs in my office. I tried a few different styles, but found that the inexpensive foam kind are the most comfortable and effective. These are the kind that you smoosh down with your fingers and put into your ears and the foam expands to fill the space. There is this perfect blissful moment for me in this process, this wonderful little moment of joy when the foam finishes expanding and the world around me is virtually silent. I would equate it to slipping into a hot bath after a stressful day or kicking off a pair of shoes that pinch your toes. It's become one of the best parts of my morning. I can still hear the phone ring and the intercom paging me, but the sound doesn't cause me pain the way it did.
I am also learning to say, "I don't know what to say" instead of stressing myself out over trying to think of the correct empathetic response to another person's emotions. I have wasted so much energy worrying that I was going to say the wrong thing to someone when I wasn't sure how to respond. Now I know the right response is the truth. If someone is hurting and I don't know how to make them feel better, there is nothing wrong with saying, "I wish I knew how to help you." It's the truth and it tells them that I care about the fact that they are suffering.
Damn, I'm deep today.
I discovered the wonders of earplugs just a couple of years ago, and I never go anywhere without them. Blocking my hearing enabled me, for the first time in my life, to hear sound as though it were at a distance, rather than right inside me. It's done wonders for my sense of personal space.
ReplyDeleteI used one of the lower rated silicone pairs watching TV tonight. I have a migraine and probably should have gone to bed, but hey, GLEE was on. Those earplugs saved me. I got to enjoy watching some TV with my roommates and was able to do what I needed to do without inconveniencing them. Crazy how it's taken me this long to realize it's okay to take care of me!
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