Esther Abspoel is a highly sensitive person (HSP). She talks about how she sometimes gets overstimulated and how earplugs help her. Esther: “I regularly wake up overstimulated by outside noises. Flagpoles banging against the pole. Screaming children running outside. The washing machine running. Dog paws tapping on the floor. And dogs barking outside. And that’s not even counting the wind…”
Sharp hearing
“My nervous system is already overloaded before I even get out of bed. Everything comes in loud, fast, and all at once. My hearing is sharp, which makes it impossible for me to just live normally. That may sound exaggerated, but that’s how it feels. I can’t just go to the supermarket, take a walk, exercise, or do anything.”
Concert
“Everything changed when I went to a concert a few months ago. The sound was so loud for me that I couldn’t stay. I felt like all my energy was being drained. My boyfriend bought me a pair of Alpine earplugs at the box office to see if that would help me cope better. And they were my golden sticks. I can hardly put it into words, but really; these Alpine earplugs are everything to me. And I think also for many other highly sensitive people!”
HSP earplugs
“In the days after, I started testing how I felt with those earplugs in. They feel comfortable. You don’t feel them. Sometimes I even forget I still have them in! It takes a little getting used to at first because you hear your own breathing. I actually see this as a plus because it allows me to hear and control my breathing. This ensures I breathe from my belly (low) rather than from my chest (high).”
“I can walk and do groceries again. The nice thing is that you’re not completely in your own little world, because you can still hear people. But at a much lower volume, so I can stay grounded, be with myself, and most importantly, enjoy life again. And all for €12.95! I’m sharing this because I’m sure it can help many highly sensitive people. And I think it’s also very nice for people with autism and children!”
For medium attenuation, there are Alpine PartyPlug earplugs. For higher attenuation, there are Alpine SleepDeep earplugs. For children, there are Pluggies Kids earplugs and Alpine Muffy earmuffs (€22.95). Earmuffs are also useful for better concentration at school.
Blog source: hspmetliefde.nl
