Even ordinary environmental sounds start to bother over time
According to Viktorija Bartkutė-Vyšniauskienė, founder of the emotional clinic “Anima Psychology” and psychotherapist, how strongly a person is affected by environmental stimuli primarily depends on the sensitivity of the nervous system.
“Research shows that about 50% of people have increased or moderate sensitivity to the environment. This means that environmental stimuli – sounds, light, movement, or even other people’s emotions – affect them more strongly than others. For such people, even a regular workday can require more internal resources, so in the evening they often feel emotionally exhausted, even if they have not moved much physically,” explains the specialist.
The psychotherapist notes that a person can get used to certain sounds, but that does not mean the body no longer reacts to them.
“We can ignore background music or city noise, but the nervous system still registers them. Over time, this can manifest as difficulty concentrating or the need to simply be in complete silence after work,” says V. Bartkutė-Vyšniauskienė.
Open offices – an additional burden on the nervous system
According to the psychotherapist, open-type workspaces, where many different stimuli operate simultaneously, can place a particularly heavy load on the nervous system.
“Phone calls, keyboard sounds, colleagues’ conversations – each of these stimuli alone may seem insignificant. But when many accumulate during the day, it becomes a constant irritation to the nervous system,” says V. Bartkutė-Vyšniauskienė.
Over time, this can increase stress levels, promote irritation, and for more sensitive people contribute to chronic fatigue or burnout.
Sometimes just a few minutes of silence is enough
Completely avoiding environmental noise today is often impossible, so according to the psychotherapist, the most important thing is to notice the first signals sent by the body in time.
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“If we spend the whole day in an intense environment, it is very important for our nervous system to get the opposite experience. Sometimes just 10 minutes without conversations, screens, or other stimuli is enough. Such short breaks help the body recover faster,” notes V. Bartkutė-Vyšniauskienė.
Technology can help reduce environmental noise
When working in open spaces, traveling, or simply being in a noisy environment, more and more people are looking for ways to reduce environmental stimuli. One of them is headphones with active noise cancellation.
Eglė Tamelytė, Head of Communications at Samsung in Lithuania, notes that headphones have long ceased to be just for music or calls – today they become an oasis of personal calm.
However, the psychotherapist reminds that technology is most effective when used consciously.
“If we simply replace one stimulus with another – for example, drown out noise with loud music – the nervous system still remains actively stimulated. But if the noise cancellation function is used to reduce unnecessary stimuli in the environment, it can be a truly useful aid,” says V. Bartkutė-Vyšniauskienė.
In today’s world, full of information and stimuli, silence becomes not a luxury, but an important part of well-being.
