Do You Need Background Noise All the Time

Many people listen to music in the car, while taking a shower, attempting to sleep or cooking dinner. Similar opinions were expressed by several Reddit users, who noted that background noise may be soothing and that ‘silence is a monster’. While listening to music nonstop is not inherently a bad thing, there might be a deeper impulse driving our want to do so.

“Background noise may be used in an attempt to distract from or avoid unpleasant emotions and thoughts,” said Jenna Carl, a clinical psychologist and the chief medical officer at Big Health, a digital therapeutic company that provides help for insomnia and anxiety.

It serves as a distraction. “Effectively, we fill our attentional capacity to the max with other stimuli in an attempt to have no resources left for the things we are trying to avoid,” explained Juulia Karlstedt, a counsellor who specializes in anxiety and perfectionism.

And with the way this coping skill works, you must do it continuously to feel OK, she continued. “The minute the distraction stops, the unpleasant emotions and thoughts normally spring up again in full force,” Karlstedt said.

When is it Unhealthy to Use Background Noise as a Coping Mechanism

Playing background music can help you manage your emotions to some extent. For instance, if you are stressed or upset at work, you could find it difficult to cry and want a distraction.

The problem is that you do not want to avoid your feelings fully or permanently. “You want to find the time, later on, to return to your thoughts to evaluate them and feel the feelings they bring up,” Carl said.

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Why? Unfortunately, avoidance can exacerbate your distress. “If you find yourself always distracting from or avoiding unpleasant thoughts, that can reinforce the anxiety that’s behind the thoughts,” Carl said. You can’t work through the anxiety; you’re just pushing it under the rug again and again. While this is certainly understandable, it I s not the most helpful.

Ultimately, mindfulness is key here. “Distraction should be used with intention,” Carl said. “It’s good to contain ruminative thinking and worry, but you also want to acknowledge if there are negative underlying emotions and address them through healthy avenues.”

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So, consider this: Am I also coping in other (successful) ways? This could take the form of talking to a friend or therapist, exercising in a way you prefer, taking baby steps, journaling, abstaining from caffeine, or taking deep breaths. If you are not, consider incorporating a few of those things into your routine.

Karlstedt advised carrying it out without condemnation or embarrassment. “No coping strategy is inherently ‘good’ or ‘bad,’” she said. “Even distraction can have a time and place when it is useful.”

“If a way of coping has started to get in the way of you being able to live the life you want, then it may have become maladaptive and ‘unworkable',” she said.

Feeling Difficult Emotions in a Secure Way

Naturally, we would want to avoid thinking about emotions and fears when they are very strong. It is possible to not feel secure or protected; for instance, what if it makes you want to damage yourself?

Behavioral Restructuring:

To use this method, you must challenge your ideas. “[This skill] allows you to identify a thought, understand how it makes you feel and behave, and understand if the thought is helpful or unhelpful,” Carl explained.

For instance, it is probably not very helpful if your social anxiety prevents you from hanging out with pals. Check out Therapist Aid’s guide to cognitive restructuring for more guidance on this method.

Worry Exposure:

The key to mastering this skill is to embrace your fear. “If a lot of your thoughts are worries, allow yourself to imagine the worst-case scenario,” Carl said. “Through repetition with this technique, you can find that your anxiety decreases or goes down.”

Research has supported this as well. For example, a 2013 study published in the journal Behavior Change discovered worry exposure, or more precisely, participants’ levels of generalized anxiety disorder, decreased when they actively imagined a feared situation.

It is okay if this choice makes you uneasy. You can practice it with a friend or therapist, have a backup coping mechanism planned, start with less stressful scenarios, or pick a whole different technique.

Mindfulness:

According to Carl, mindfulness can help you stop judging yourself and make emotions more bearable.

“It enables you to observe your thoughts without changing or reacting to them while focusing on your breath,” she said. “If a negative or unhelpful thought enters your mind, label it in a non-judgmental way and return to your breath. This can help you feel less reactive to your negative thoughts and be able to tolerate rather than avoid them.”

If itis more convenient, you can utilize this tool in conjunction with background music. “If you notice a thought or emotion creeping in that is unpleasant, just name it to yourself,” Karlstedt suggested. (For example, “I’m noticing I feel anxious about the fight I had with my friend.”)

“Then, instead of getting caught up in the thought, bring your attention back to the music and whatever other task you are doing,” Karlstedt said. As you concentrate on the present, you might picture your ideas dissipating.

Deep breathing, the 5-4-3-2-1 method, knitting, coloring, and the list of five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste are other mindfulness exercises.

It is tempting to have background noise playing, whether it be a song, podcast, soft jazz, a TV show, or something else entirely. And do not misunderstand us: It occasionally can be useful. But if you notice that the urge arises from a desire to escape your feelings and thoughts, it might be time to incorporate other coping mechanisms as well.