Not coping with noisy workplace

[Torte]

Just wondering if anybody has a similar issue to me and how they dealt with it.

I have extreme stress reactions to noise and this is being triggered by conversations around me in the workplace. I work in an open plan, hot-desking environment and have little to no control on how loud conversations around me can become. I've tried noise cancelling headphones, music, asking people to talk more quietly and/or move meetings to meeting rooms instead of standing around workdesks, putting up signs to indicate a 'quiet area' but can still end up crying, shaking and digging my nails into my skin so hard I break the skin by the end of the day. So instead I've had to isolate myself from my team to escape from the noise.

My manager has been able to arrange an ergonomic assessment for me, with the outcome of getting equipment so that I can work in an area not normally set up for full day working, but it's isolated. I'm now starting to feel miserable and have significant difficulties collaborating with people because I spent all day, every work day, in a room by myself. I try to work one day per week with the rest of the team but some days only last 15 minutes before relocating to escape the noise.

I've never had this issue until working in the hot-desking environment. Has anyone else experienced this? Did you have any success making complaints to change office culture? Did you see an occupational therapist or psychologist to get help coping with this situation?

[white knight]

Hi Torte, welcome

My first albeit non professional response is- better to seek out the origin of your intolerance to noise than to earn a reputation for complaining, not that you deserve such notoriety.

I did have the same issue when answering calls for Telstra some 27 years ago however. I needed to learn how to focus. Them days I didn't realise I had bipolar, depression and bits of ADHD likely. The problem is that many people are inconsiderate, they only think of themselves. That sounds harsh- it's true. Your only other hope really is to push for that meeting room area to be used as a rule...but employees will claim "its a quick discussion".

Google- beyondblue forums topic advice please my bucket is full

That thread deals with stress.

Also google

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Good luck TonyWK

[Croix]

Dear Torte~

I'd like to join TonyWK in welcoming you here.

From your post I'm a but uncertain if your reaction to noise is based upon a physical condition or a psychological one. For that matter the types of noise involved.

May I ask if you have been checked out by a hearing specialist in case it is a physical thing, and by a GP who is familiar with the various forms of mental hassles?

In my own case as someone who has PTSD there are some sounds that trigger me, but they are very much related to past experiences.

While I guess you might be considered lucky to have a manager who went to the length of getting you a new work area your reactions sound very hard to bear. Just isolation alone is incredibly hard to take.

I would think if you can rule out physical causes then maybe an examination of why noise affects you so much by a psychologist or psychiatrist might be a good thing to do.

After all you could think of changing jobs (provided there are opportunities of course) but you would not want the affliction to repeat elsewhere.

So what do you think?

Croix

[Torte]

I've previously been to a hearing specialist for tinnitus with the advice of 'drink more water, less coffee, avoid chewy foods and focus more on sounds around you to help you filter out the tinnitus'. So I've probably trained my brain to be extra-aware of sounds in the background and now that has come back to bite me in the behind since I moved to a hot desking (a.k.a smarter working) environment. Currently, I listen to white noise and music at work but after about two hours that starts to give me earaches or becomes as bad as the background office noise.

I have decided to make appointments to see other specialists though to see if there is something else going on that can be diagnosed.

As far as looking for other jobs goes, I'm keeping my eye out but struggling to find somewhere that doesn't have hot desking. I'm also stubborn and want to improve the office environment for other people who have less severe, but still real, issues with hot desking and mental health. I feel compelled to speak out even if it damages my reputation.

[Croix]

Dear Torte~

A difficult situation and I have a feeling you are already doing some pretty sensible things to alleviate the situation.

I have no wonderful suggestions but would like ot offer two things, first there i a website called freesound where there is a vast store of free sound effects, many soothing from waves to rain, and just about everything else. You might find a mix of different sounds would prolong hte useful period each day without causing earache.

The other is when things get too stressful I use a free smartphone app called Smiling Mind. It takes practice but is pretty good at asking the current world disappear for a few minutes, and I often feel a lot less stressed after.

I would think trying to get people to be quiet in a culture where talk and noise is the norm seems very hard. Perhaps individual conversations taking one person aside at a time and explaining the effect on you might do something -my apologies if you have already thought of all these things.

Croix

[JK1985]

Hiya Torte, I have just joined this forum myself.

I read your post and have had a similar issue. It sucks because once you have a sensitivity to something and it stresses you out, anxiety kicks in and heightens your sensitivity and over time what used to be annoying- is suddenly unbearable. It’s a nasty cycle.

My anxiety back when it was horrible- when something triggered my anxiety (like too much noise) what started as thoughts racing from too much noise turned straight to “I can’t breathe, I’m going to die”. No in between and suddenly I wasn’t worried about the noise at all, I was anxious about dying and the noise was just stopping me from calming myself down.

Luckily, I learned to not be embarrassed about my anxiety and when I used to get worked up or anxious at work and the noise was too much for me, I would just tell the people in my office I need go sit in the quiet and calm myself down- I would make a joke of how they’re all too loud and should shut up and everyone would have a giggle which made me feel better as well. Then I could go and lay down close my eyes for 5 mins in silence and regroup then go back out to the open office and carry on working.

Not sure if people in your office know what your triggers are but it might be worthwhile talking to them about it and then they can learn how to help you?

i know it seems unbearable... but the day It became bearable for me was the day I started to tell people about my issues and make a jokes about it. it was like a weight off my shoulders!

Hope it gets better for you soon!!

[Guest_829]

Your not alone, and your not the only one feeling this.someof my co-workers and me are struggling with extreme loud noises, and the constant yelling and swearing at work at the moment.we swear ourselves so its not that.its the volume, and the relentless talking over the top of each other coming from a group near by.i've been struggling with PTSD for years, and sudden loud outbursts and loud sounds make me anxious, and sometimes really angry and violent (I don't act on this).we have a hard time dealing with this daily and it wears us out, destroys our state of mind, and nothing gets done about it.and the thing is this might seem like nothing to some people, but to us, who are constantly on edge with shot nerves, its exhausting.were hoping it stops before one of us snaps and gets in trouble