The human nervous system is very sensitive to external stimulation. I should know. I am one of those types who will immediately hit the dimmer switch of overhead lighting as my college roommate will tell you. Too much overhead lighting gives me a sterile almost clinical sensation as if I should hop up on an exam table at any moment. My new husband can attest to my lighting proclivities. He likes to light up suddenly whereas I like to light up gently.
Sound operates in much the same way. As a kid I always noticed that adults, especially older adults, seemed to play the radio much lower than my harsh young ears preferred. I just noticed the other day driving home that now I too drop the volume to a soft comfort zone. My life is so rich and full of light and sound and a myriad of other stimulants that I have to delicately balance various parts of my nervous system across them at any one time.
If you have not already done so, consider paying a little attention to your nervous system’s daily exposures. Are you tolerating something that you can reduce or eliminate and gain some of that energy back with which you were only coping?
