Does anyone else struggle with noise?

[okayokaywhatsnext]

I have 3 small children including baby twins and during the day there is never ever silence. Someone mostly crying or at least low level whinging, washing machine, dishwasher, tumble dryer, a noisy toy, toddler singing, neighbour noise as everyone in the garden and now the sounds of WFH on top. In the evenings, when the children are asleep, I cannot stand to watch the TV or have the radio on or even be in the same room as DH doing those things or playing a computer game or watching a video on his phone. It just makes me feel claustrophobic and almost frightened like something bad is going to happen. Even in the daytime today at one point DH had the radio on, rolling news on TV, different rolling news on his laptop and he was on the phone - it made me feel ill.

This isn’t normal? Or is it just a lockdown thing?

Sympathies - that would drive me mad so no it’s not just a lockdown thing. I would be asking DH to pick one source of news and wear headphones if possible.

I am much more sensitive to noise when stressed, and that sounds unbearable, especially if you feel you can’t escape. I’d suggest earplugs but you need to hear the kids. No suggestions but I feel for you!

Overwhelm, that’s called.
Happens to me too.
You just need to go somewhere quiet.
And your DH needs a digital detox!

Thanks. I’m thinking about moving to the shed - but then I would have neighbours’ kids’ noises and I would worry that mine were killing themselves or one another.

No, I couldn't cope with that, it's too much.
Luckily dp will use headphones for his phone when watching videos, and plays keyboard (lockdown boredom) at a very low level.
Before the lockdown dp was working away from home Monday to Friday so once the kids were in bed I could have quiet time, now I find myself going up to bed around 8.30/9 o clock just to have peace and quiet for a bit as I've had enough of everything by then.
What I struggle with most is something being repeated over and over again. Eg dp practicing the same few lines of a song on the keyboard over and over, or singing the same few lines of a song over and over. Yesterday ds made a toy into a pretend pet, gave it a name and repeated the name over and over and over again in the hour that followed. I felt like my head was going to explode.

Yes. DH was one of 4 all very close in age and rowdy and noisy is his default. Music always on and what drives me mad is sometimes music on, tv on and noise from his phone. I literally feel my stress hormones kicking in when he does that.

Dd1 is 10 and has no concept of 'inner' monologue. It is constant. We watched greatest showman last night and she narrated the whole thing.

I am wfh and on the phone a lot and yearn for no voices just for an hour.

Sometimes it's all too much and I get very anxious and overwhelmed and have to retreat a bit which dh finds a bit bewildering (he hates quiet!).

Thank Christ for Dd2 who is a much quieter and calmer soul than the noise monkeys.

I’m so pleased I’m not alone. I’ve just had to turn off the radio because DD wanted me to read to her and I couldn’t bear the sound of my own voice competing with the radio.

I don’t mind loud noise, I like to listen to my music pretty loud but I hate competing noises. If the kids are listening to YouTube channels on different devices, or if the tv and the radio are on etc it stresses me out. If the kids are upstairs I usually turn everything off or mute it and just sit in silence.

I also struggle a bit in exercise classes when there’s music on and then having to listen to the instructor at the same time.