[Stellata]

My flatmates are coming back tonight. They've been away three weeks. Aside from upstairs stomping around, and last night having music on right above my bed, it's been peaceful.

My feeling infuriated and my adrenaline reaching close to my coping edge with upstairs' noise last night is alerting me to how my tolerance levels for outside sound which I'm not involved in being particularly low right now.

You know when music has a beat that you can feel even with ear plugs in? That was me last night. I resisted screaming and yelling, although I did slam a few doors.

My flatmates being back will bring closer noise. Whilst I hope it will feel soothing and familiar, knowing my emotional idiosyncrasies, I know that there will be times when my adrenaline rage/anxiety levels will attempt to 'break the sound barrier'. I know I'm feeling vulnerable right now. I know I'll have times when it's hard.

Plus the kids next door kick a ball around their garden, often against our fence. And that sets me into enraged panic too.

How can I learn to bear external sound - music, voices, TV, walking around - without feeling my nerves are stretched to screaming pitch and I feel like wanting to thump someone - or myself?
Any coping strategies that don't involve shutting the sound out with ear plugs or my own music? [which don't tend to fully work, anyway].
Anyone else deal with this kind of thing?