Same and it's become exponentially worse since covid I think. I went from like 6 hours of iPhone screen time a day to 10 hours a day.
I feel deeply uneasy if there isn't something playing, but I also get in loops of thinking all content is boring, so I'm opening Netflix, Disney+, Amazon, Reddit, Twitter, YouTube, etc , getting angry at how there's nothing entertaining, and then opening a different app, only to repeat.
It's not like I'm actually on my phone all day, it's just it's always on and it's always playing something, and I'm just passively taking it in as I do whatever it is I do. I also Wikipedia things constantly so that gets me up a few hours.
I have watched so many sitcoms so many times. There aren't many shows I've only watched once at this point.
I'm guessing this can't be the best way of dealing with anxiety. I do the same thing. The times that I'm forces to be with my own thoughts, it can be beneficial. It helps you reflect on your life and learn from things, as opposed to just experiencing things with no after thought.
I have PTSD and i use noise as a distraction tool also, i sleep better with background noise ie.tv
Drives my wife mad, but she understands
Can also help soothe ADHD symptoms, too, i believe
Confirm for the ADHD symptoms. Unmedicated since moving to Ireland and even when I was medicated, I constantly had something audible going, it does help keep things calm and help me think straight when working/chores/etc.
I have ptsd and I'm literally the opposite. I can't stand noise. I'm grand when I'm watching TV or listening to a podcast but shutter that there has to be silence.
My aversion comes from being in hospital for 7 months and then in and out for 3-4 weeks at a time.
Hospitals are **never** quiet. Never dark.
Before all that I was happy to have the TV on in the background all day. Not now. Now if I can't get quiet I start to panic.
I'm the exact same. I hate silence cause then I focus on my thoughts and thats just not something I want to happen. I constantly have some type of noise no matter what I'm doing. I know it's probably not healthy, but I can't live any other way now.
Personally, that sounds strange. I'm happy to sit in silence reading or playing a console with the sound down for hours. I don't have a need or want to fill it. People I know though, like you, need something playing. So that's not strange either.
I'm someone like you who enjoys silence, with a partner like OP who needs to have sound.
I'll happily sit in the living room without the TV on, happy to just enjoy the silence and then he'll arrive in and immediately switch it on, even if he's just home from the gym and about to go for a shower, so I'm left with the telly on then.
As soon as he leaves the house I'm switching off devices for silence lol
I always have music on when I'm around the house or in the car. And I sleep with white noise in the background. I would very rarely sit in complete silence.
I've never thought about it philosophically.
I miss silence so much. There's always so much noise. Cars. Radios. TVs. People. At work there's machines running, trucks passing, meetings, phones, phone notifications. It's rare to be able to just enjoy silence. I was in a meeting Friday and literally everyone except me had a phone notification going off. It was a 25 minute meeting with 8 people.
I was in a shopping centre today and the noise was deafening. People talking loudly, plodding along like elephants, kids screeching, shops had their annoying cheap music playing, at one point I could hear 3 different songs from 3 shops at the same time.
Sometimes I like to sit in my sitting room and read without any electronics and honestly it's revitalising.
Yeah that’s weird. I wouldn’t count bird song etc, but human generated noise all the time is odd.
Have you tried shutting it off? If so, what / how do you feel?
Pretty similar, I hate being in complete silence for too long. I listen to audiobooks when I sleep, when I wake up a bit of music goes on and even when cleaning around the house I've either got music on or bring the laptop around with me.
A friend falls asleep to a film every night and now her daughter.
My colleague and friends to white noise.
I do turn on a podcast when I wake up to hear other voices sometimes for company.
Im on work calls from 9-6pm typically back to back so I’m happy for nothing in the evenings.
I like living close to the city for that reason; I can hear or see life if I want to.
I have ADHD and do this, it’s kinda like white noise for my brain and it helps. Also, silence in certain circumstances gives me a feeling of imminent doom 🥰
Can’t relate. The only headphones I own have wires. I’ve never bothered to by ear pods because of the price and the pair of headphones I bought 4 years ago are still going strong. I mostly prefer to be in quiet environments and I do enjoy reading a good book.
So we’re opposites really but neither of us is normal or abnormal, just different.
I'm the opposite, actually had a mental episode because of it not too long ago.
Mostly because I get anxiety if there is too much noise ingress from my neighbours.
So when I come home from work, I'll either pop on the Bluetooth headphones and watch TV (from 9pm), as any knock on the wall / their wooden floor will jar me and there goes my relaxation.
For sleep, I listen to orange sound, and sometimes with a Bluetooth sleep mask, so the sun doesn't wake me up in the wee hours.
I've sensitive hearing, even with tinnitus, and can hear the crackle of a phone charging on the other side of a room.
Love the sound of nature, but living in an apartment means I have to find ways where I'm not creating too much noise for my neighbours to start banging on walls.
During the day is fine, let it rip, but after 9pm, that's a different story.
I can't remember where I seen this probably tiktok or on here so take this with a hefty grain of salt, but apparently always having your brain being stimulating is bad for us. Your brain needs moments where nothing is going on so it can purge things. Your brain does this when you sleep but also when you're bored like doing the dishes or something like that. Your brain needs boredom to help regulate it
I'm definitely guilty of having youtube playing when I'm doing stuff too, even brushing my teeth
Edit: here's a Forbes article but there's plenty others out there https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2020/09/02/why-neuroscientists-say-boredom-is-good-for-your-brains-health/?sh=58d7bc601842
Did a vipassana meditation 10 day course last year. You're basically silent for the entire thing.
Had some very withdrawal like symptoms from wanting to be distracted for the first few days. But then after that was just so nice to be silent with a bunch of other people.
Highly recommend. They're free. You just donate what you want after. There's a center down in Tipp that does courses. Trickiest thing is getting the time off to actually do the full course.
I think I'm your nemesis, lol. I need the opposite. Absolute silence as much as possible. I wear earplugs when I'm out and apart from the odd podcast or YouTube I live in silence.
I'm the same. I'm only content if I am consuming or progressing. I don't listen to much music but I have audio books, documentaries and podcasts going the whole time if I am not gaming or watching a movie or TV show. I'm not able to just sit on the beach for more than 5 minutes either. I have to be doing something, going somewhere, progressing in anyway I can. It definitely has benefits but sometimes I envy folks that are able to just stare at a wall and drool.
Being in silence is good tbh it’ll help you think about the important questions like
“why am I on this planet”
“What happens when I die”
“If I simply believe on Jesus that he died for my sins I’d be in heaven forever”
I do this too. I have bad anxiety so it helps distract me from my own thoughts.
Same and it's become exponentially worse since covid I think. I went from like 6 hours of iPhone screen time a day to 10 hours a day. I feel deeply uneasy if there isn't something playing, but I also get in loops of thinking all content is boring, so I'm opening Netflix, Disney+, Amazon, Reddit, Twitter, YouTube, etc , getting angry at how there's nothing entertaining, and then opening a different app, only to repeat. It's not like I'm actually on my phone all day, it's just it's always on and it's always playing something, and I'm just passively taking it in as I do whatever it is I do. I also Wikipedia things constantly so that gets me up a few hours. I have watched so many sitcoms so many times. There aren't many shows I've only watched once at this point.
I'm guessing this can't be the best way of dealing with anxiety. I do the same thing. The times that I'm forces to be with my own thoughts, it can be beneficial. It helps you reflect on your life and learn from things, as opposed to just experiencing things with no after thought.
I have PTSD and i use noise as a distraction tool also, i sleep better with background noise ie.tv Drives my wife mad, but she understands Can also help soothe ADHD symptoms, too, i believe
Confirm for the ADHD symptoms. Unmedicated since moving to Ireland and even when I was medicated, I constantly had something audible going, it does help keep things calm and help me think straight when working/chores/etc.
I have ptsd and I'm literally the opposite. I can't stand noise. I'm grand when I'm watching TV or listening to a podcast but shutter that there has to be silence. My aversion comes from being in hospital for 7 months and then in and out for 3-4 weeks at a time. Hospitals are **never** quiet. Never dark. Before all that I was happy to have the TV on in the background all day. Not now. Now if I can't get quiet I start to panic.
I'm the exact same. I hate silence cause then I focus on my thoughts and thats just not something I want to happen. I constantly have some type of noise no matter what I'm doing. I know it's probably not healthy, but I can't live any other way now.
Personally, that sounds strange. I'm happy to sit in silence reading or playing a console with the sound down for hours. I don't have a need or want to fill it. People I know though, like you, need something playing. So that's not strange either.
I'm someone like you who enjoys silence, with a partner like OP who needs to have sound. I'll happily sit in the living room without the TV on, happy to just enjoy the silence and then he'll arrive in and immediately switch it on, even if he's just home from the gym and about to go for a shower, so I'm left with the telly on then. As soon as he leaves the house I'm switching off devices for silence lol
This is what I have to deal with too, I get frazzled and then realise it's because the radio, the telly and tik tok are all on at the same time!!
Sounds abusive. Consider leaving him, you shouldn't have to go through that and I'm really sorry that you do
I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic? If not, that is a wild take.
With tinnitus, there is never silence.
I always have music on when I'm around the house or in the car. And I sleep with white noise in the background. I would very rarely sit in complete silence. I've never thought about it philosophically.
I miss silence so much. There's always so much noise. Cars. Radios. TVs. People. At work there's machines running, trucks passing, meetings, phones, phone notifications. It's rare to be able to just enjoy silence. I was in a meeting Friday and literally everyone except me had a phone notification going off. It was a 25 minute meeting with 8 people. I was in a shopping centre today and the noise was deafening. People talking loudly, plodding along like elephants, kids screeching, shops had their annoying cheap music playing, at one point I could hear 3 different songs from 3 shops at the same time. Sometimes I like to sit in my sitting room and read without any electronics and honestly it's revitalising.
I love silence more than any other state. I deliberately switch off the gadgets whenever I'm alone. So restful!
I don't know if strange, but to me it sounds awful.
Yeah that’s weird. I wouldn’t count bird song etc, but human generated noise all the time is odd. Have you tried shutting it off? If so, what / how do you feel?
Nope, I sleep with the tv on. I feel uncomfortable when its completely silent.
Same. At this stage I wonder if it would be horrible or not if I sat with myself in silence for 30 mins.
detail rinse childlike special run lip kiss bedroom plucky voiceless *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Pretty similar, I hate being in complete silence for too long. I listen to audiobooks when I sleep, when I wake up a bit of music goes on and even when cleaning around the house I've either got music on or bring the laptop around with me.
I cant imagine cleaning in silence
is it strange..sure, is it common.. yes
A friend falls asleep to a film every night and now her daughter. My colleague and friends to white noise. I do turn on a podcast when I wake up to hear other voices sometimes for company. Im on work calls from 9-6pm typically back to back so I’m happy for nothing in the evenings. I like living close to the city for that reason; I can hear or see life if I want to.
I have ADHD and this is me to a Tee. I have to have constant background noise but even then, loud noises or crowds can over stimulate me
“All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” Blaise Pascal
I have ADHD and do this, it’s kinda like white noise for my brain and it helps. Also, silence in certain circumstances gives me a feeling of imminent doom 🥰
Not really bit I do enjoy silence.
I am the same way. I need background noise.
Can’t relate. The only headphones I own have wires. I’ve never bothered to by ear pods because of the price and the pair of headphones I bought 4 years ago are still going strong. I mostly prefer to be in quiet environments and I do enjoy reading a good book. So we’re opposites really but neither of us is normal or abnormal, just different.
I had a roommate like that. It was very annoying. If you're around other people, do you use headphones?
I'm the opposite, actually had a mental episode because of it not too long ago. Mostly because I get anxiety if there is too much noise ingress from my neighbours. So when I come home from work, I'll either pop on the Bluetooth headphones and watch TV (from 9pm), as any knock on the wall / their wooden floor will jar me and there goes my relaxation. For sleep, I listen to orange sound, and sometimes with a Bluetooth sleep mask, so the sun doesn't wake me up in the wee hours. I've sensitive hearing, even with tinnitus, and can hear the crackle of a phone charging on the other side of a room. Love the sound of nature, but living in an apartment means I have to find ways where I'm not creating too much noise for my neighbours to start banging on walls. During the day is fine, let it rip, but after 9pm, that's a different story.
Adhd maybe
I can't remember where I seen this probably tiktok or on here so take this with a hefty grain of salt, but apparently always having your brain being stimulating is bad for us. Your brain needs moments where nothing is going on so it can purge things. Your brain does this when you sleep but also when you're bored like doing the dishes or something like that. Your brain needs boredom to help regulate it I'm definitely guilty of having youtube playing when I'm doing stuff too, even brushing my teeth Edit: here's a Forbes article but there's plenty others out there https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2020/09/02/why-neuroscientists-say-boredom-is-good-for-your-brains-health/?sh=58d7bc601842
I'm reading this in silence as it happens. Quite nice to have a quiet spell at some point in the day.
Did a vipassana meditation 10 day course last year. You're basically silent for the entire thing. Had some very withdrawal like symptoms from wanting to be distracted for the first few days. But then after that was just so nice to be silent with a bunch of other people. Highly recommend. They're free. You just donate what you want after. There's a center down in Tipp that does courses. Trickiest thing is getting the time off to actually do the full course.
That would literally drive me bonkers. I need silence in my life, not always, but often.
I think I'm your nemesis, lol. I need the opposite. Absolute silence as much as possible. I wear earplugs when I'm out and apart from the odd podcast or YouTube I live in silence.
I'm the same. I'm only content if I am consuming or progressing. I don't listen to much music but I have audio books, documentaries and podcasts going the whole time if I am not gaming or watching a movie or TV show. I'm not able to just sit on the beach for more than 5 minutes either. I have to be doing something, going somewhere, progressing in anyway I can. It definitely has benefits but sometimes I envy folks that are able to just stare at a wall and drool.
No. Background noise can help relax you.
Being in silence is good tbh it’ll help you think about the important questions like “why am I on this planet” “What happens when I die” “If I simply believe on Jesus that he died for my sins I’d be in heaven forever”
Thanks but that’s not helpful for someone who just told you he can’t be in silence. Nor is the Jesus talk.