The world is loud.
The world is loud.
Not just in volume, but in expectation. It is loud with notifications, deadlines, opinions, advertisements, fluorescent lights, traffic, news cycles, endless scrolling, and the quiet pressure to always be doing more.
We've become so immersed in this level of stimulation that we've normalized it.
But normal does not necessarily mean natural.
To understand why so many people feel exhausted, anxious, disconnected, or overwhelmed, I think it's important to step back and ask a bigger question:
What kind of world did the human body evolve for?
When we look at the grand scheme of evolution, humans have spent the overwhelming majority of our existence living in environments that were relatively predictable. While our ancestors certainly faced danger, the sensory landscape itself was fundamentally different from the one we live in today.
The sounds that surrounded us were the sounds of nature, wind through trees, birds calling, rain falling, rushing water, the footsteps of another person approaching. The stimuli we encountered often carried meaning.
A loud noise demanded attention because it could signal danger. A sudden movement in the bushes could mean a predator. A shift in weather meant it was time to seek shelter.
The body evolved to notice change because change often meant survival and paying attention kept us alive. We also lived in accordance with rhythms much larger than ourselves. We lived in accordance with how the world and environment moved around us.
The rising sun signalled the beginning of activity. As daylight faded, so did the demands of the day. Communities gathered. Meals were shared. Stories were told. Darkness naturally encouraged rest.
Our physiology evolved alongside these cycles.
Evolution is incredibly powerful but it is also incredibly slow. When we think about for example how long we have been alive and evolving and how long all this stimulation has existed it is a very small fraction.
Our technology has transformed almost every aspect of daily life within just a few generations, while our nervous systems are still operating with biology that developed over hundreds of thousands of years.
That mismatch matters.
Today, the same body that once responded to an approaching predator now responds to an overflowing inbox. It responds to breaking news. To financial uncertainty. To social comparison. To text messages demanding immediate replies. To hundreds of tiny decisions that fill every waking hour. Your brain is in constant motion and constantly going because it has to be to keep up.
Our threat-detection systems were never designed to distinguish perfectly between physical danger and relentless psychological demand. Both require attention. Both consume energy.
I also want to clarify that technology is an amazing tool. Heck-I use it everyday. I manage my business from my computer, communicate with patients VIA email & text and post on instagram. Yet it is just that, a tool. Something we have been given with no instructions on how to use it properly in a way that feels nourishing and connecting for us and others as well. When used it can often foster growth and connection in so many beautiful ways. Maybe we just need to learn how to use it. How to harness it and craft it to fit our lives, not the other way around.
This isn't a failure of adaptation.
It's a reflection of just how quickly our environment has changed, and how much we ask of ourselves in response. We expect ourselves to constantly adapt while simultaneously carrying fatigue, stress, poor sleep, muscle tension, digestive issues, anxiety, hormonal imbalances, and emotional overwhelm.
The truth is that you are not separate from your body. You are your body.Your thoughts, emotions, physiology, immune system, digestion, sleep, muscles, hormones, and nervous system are not operating independently from one another. They are having one continuous conversation. It is a language they hold together.
To me, the most fascinating part of all of this is that many of us no longer recognize when we're stressed. We don’t often perceive stimuli as stressors. We can surely understand we are stressed when we receive a snappy email from a disgruntled boss, or when life events begin to feel overwhelming, but what about the noise that is constantly humming in the background of our lives.
There is wisdom in knowing when to act. There is equal wisdom in knowing when to pause. I don't believe meaning is created in endless cycles of productivity. Maybe meaning is cultivated in the spaces between them.
As an acupuncturist, I don't see the nervous system as something that is broken and needs fixing. I see it as something that has been faithfully responding to an environment that asks far more of it than it was ever designed to handle. Healing, then, isn't always about adding more. Sometimes it’s about doing less.
I stand firmly in the belief that the world has become too loud for us. Not because we are weak, but because we are deeply human.
And perhaps the greatest act of resistance in a world that constantly asks for forward movement, is to be still.
What Do I Suggest?
-
Dim all lighting/use warm lighting in place of cool or blue lighting.
Drink an herbal tea, chamomile is my favourite. Drinking the same flavour most nights is helpful.
Go to bed before 11PM
Have a warm bath/shower
Breath-work or Yin Yoga
Eat dinner 2-3 hours before bed
Set aside time to nourish yourself in whatever capacity. This can look like reading your favourite novel, doing breath-work, spending time doing your skin care routine, whatever feels good for you!
-
Go for a walk without any headphones on. It may be helpful to even leave your phone at home. What do you notice you have space for in the absence of input?
Spend time in the garden in the morning.
First thing in the morning I usually recommend patients go outside or get exposure to sunlight.
Grounding techniques.
-
Having repeated experiences in safe & quiet treatment spaces is very helpful for your entire being.
Acupuncture of course!
Massage
Cranio-Sacral Therapies
Yoga (Especially yin)
There are so many talented and supportive practitioners in the Okanagan! Explore the options and dive into what feels supportive!
-
Meditative practices
Yin Yoga/Yoga Nidras
Walks/Hikes without any music on
Wind down and morning rituals, setting your peace first thing and last thing in the day.
Phone on “Do Not Disturb” during hours you feel comfortable with no one being able to have access to you.
These are just some ideas that you can play around with at home and see what feels good for you!
This process is just that. It is a process so give yourself grace and understanding that you were conditioned this way. Nothing is wrong with you. Silence will be uncomfortable at first because you are not used to it. Yet without the constant influx of information coming at you, I wonder what you could hear from your body? I wonder what you could allow to unfold and learn about yourself? It’s almost like you have your hands full of things. And just for a moment, if you are brave enough and ready you let go of it. With empty palms what else can you hold for yourself? Who are you in the absence of the world telling you who you should be?
My teacher would often compare the mind to a body of water- like a lake or a pond. And thoughts like the wind.
When the mind is still- you can see the reflected surface of everything as it is. Yet when there is a wind that disturbs the waters, it distorts the reflection. In stillness we see ourselves and everything around us clearer. In moments of silence we meet ourselves as we are.
As always, I’m so grateful you’ve taken the time to read over my musings.
With Light & In healing,
Fallon
