Finding My Quiet

I feel like the universe knew I was going to need those AirPods bad today.

I’ve been having a hard time with overstimulation this week and was right on the verge of a meltdown earlier. I had to leave the house, sit in a parking lot for a good minute, and just breathe.

When I finally went into the store to grab a few things, every noise hit me at once: footsteps, sighs, the hum of the air conditioner, even the lights. It all felt like too much.

So I put on some brown noise and switched my headphones to noise-cancelling. At first, my body was still tense, still bracing… but after about five minutes, something in me softened. I could move through the aisles without feeling like I was about to implode.

I grabbed a coffee after, and by the time I got home, I could actually handle the noise of the house again.

It honestly brings me to tears, because a few years ago, I couldn’t navigate moments like this. I would’ve spiraled, shut down, or snapped. But today, I found a way through.

I’m proud of how far I’ve come.

And I’m hopeful that I’ll keep finding ways to make the world a little quieter when I need it to be.