I Wear Earplugs Everyday To Work, Yet I'm Still Exhausted
From people talking loudly at work, yelling and sometimes even laughing unexpectedly.
Totes slamming on the ground constantly at work, sudden alarms from other stations.
Loud family phone calls at home, sudden loud slamming of cabinets.
All of it happening almost everyday for me is extremely exhausting, and even wearing earplugs, Sony XM6 Headphones and even combining the two never feels enough.
Noise Protection Isn't Optional For Most Of Us
I can't stand loud noises whatsoever. For one the intensity of the noise is alarming and jarring to me. Second, very little expectations to plan around the noise, since it's often, sudden, and virtually no window to work around it or "Plug my ears".
Most of us (But not all) have to work around loud noises on a daily basis. Not just at home, but at work as well. The frequency of it, let alone the intensity of it, and it happening over and over makes an already exhausting enviornment for us even more so.
I wear earplugs everyday for this exact reason. Not just at work, but at home. And unless I have my sony headphones on, or earplugs, I simply can't be around anywhere that has even moderately high levels of sound. Such as arcade or eating locations such as resturants.
Noise sensitivity doesn't clock out when I'm done with work and going home.
At the grocery store: People talking loudly on their phones while shopping. (On top of the navigation compounding drain just being there)
Outside once my shift is over: The conversations still don't end and they are just as loud. I don't mind people talking, just the intensity of it and the fact it's constant and relentless makes me want to walk away entirely and avoid conversations all together.
Arcades: I really enjoy arcades despite the minor sensory drain it is from all of the flashing lights and stuff, but the machines themselves are loud and conversations between others walking around is frequent and jarring. Usually my headphones are enough to handle this though but I still don't stay for very long if I have to navigate around too many people or the volume is out of control (Such as through loud speakers)
Every environment has noise triggers. Every environment drains energy. Even combining earplugs and headphones like I mentioned before doesn't fully drown out the intensity of those noises, and the impact it has on my nervous system.
What People Don't Understand
The impact on us is far greater than it is for neurotypicals.
Most (But not all) treat it as a "mood swing" problem or something else. They don't they realize they frequency, volume, and intensity of it is occurs many times every single day is exhausting and is something our brains can't just "filter out" or "push through".
It's not just "loud = bad." It's specific sounds, specific frequencies, and unpredictable timing, just happening over and over.
Since this is a common occurrence I often deal with and since earplugs and my headphones clearly wasn't helping that much, I figured tracking my energy makes the most sense since not all sounds that drains me if something I consciously notice (Especially since I've been in burnout for so long). So if I realize that my energy levels are low I could refer it to maybe being because of the constant dogs barking outside despite an otherwise calm day from a sensory standpoint. Or something briefly whistling in the background, I'm still wearing sony headphones, yet it still exhausts me and I feel an insitictual pull to guide my full attention to that exact noise, which is a clear for me majority of the time that that noise is draining me far more than the others.
I'm Omari, a 23-year-old autistic adult who's been managing chronic burnout for 5+ years while working warehouse shifts.
I'm building Spoons, an autism energy tracker that I plan to launch on April of 2026. getspoons.app - One email when it's ready. No spam. If your interested in joining the waitlist or just viewing the website, you can check it out here if you want to, or if you have the energy. :)
— Omari
Note: I'm sharing my personal experience as an autistic adult, not medical advice. If you're experiencing severe burnout or crisis, please consult a healthcare provider familiar with autism.