Hi turquoise. I am sorry your are feeling the overload of activity all around you. You are not alone.

I have similar responses to sounds and activity. When anxiety symptoms are particularly active I am extremely hyper-sensitive to sounds and rapid or sudden movements. My automatic response is to meltdown into tears and start to feel dizzy. While 'normally' I love to listen to the birds sing and the chipmunks chirp, when the anxiety is high they drive me over the edge. It can be totally paralyzing. More then once I have let out terrifying screams to get my son to close the window to muffle the noise.

Anytime I am triggered by sounds I will cover my ears and hum as loudly as I can in an attempt to block out the disturbing outside sounds. I will close my eyes when too much movement starts to cause the same reaction.

Once I catch my breath enough to move I will flee to get away either back into my house or into my truck. When at home I will shut all my windows and put on the tv or turn soothing music up load to help muffle the sounds. It is the suddenness of sound and the business of movements that are the biggest triggers for. When the anxiety is low I may not even noticed sounds and movements that when it is up set me off.

I think you are doing the best thing to remove yourself from the stimulation. To label it for what it is.... hyper-sensitivity and then to give yourself permission to protect yourself from its effects. That often helps me from letting it pull me down into depression. It is not my fault. It is my brain playing tricks on me. It is a symptom. It is not me. I tell myself it will pass and let my retreat from the stimulation be a healing time. It is not isolation in the same sense as we might be drawn into when depression hits.

I hope you are reassured a little to know you are not alone. Honour your need to separate from those things that having you feeling overloaded. It is called good self care. As you sit in your safe place you will begin to be able to attend to your breathing and fill your mind with more pleasant things.

I often like to emerse myself in doing something artistic or creative once I get over the peak. It has a way of keeping my mind from echoing the sounds or feeling movement all around me.

Hope you feel better soon.