I live in an apartment downtown with paper thin walls. If its not noise outside, its my neighbour upstairs TV or my neighbour downstairs partying. I'd love to sit on the couch and read in evenings but I find it impossible to focus with so much going around me.
Does anyone have secrets on how to read in these situations? We don't all live in quiet suburbs sadly.
by 4ofclubs
13 Comments
Headphones with ambient music should do the trick
Sony XM4 noise-cancelling headphones.
Headphones with music or simply earplugs is what I do
If you can afford it, noise canceling earphones 🎧 helps
I tend to start to read out loud, so that i would hear what i’m reading better.
I use a vocal free playlist from Apple Music. Sound Bath, Sleep Cycle, Jazz Chill all work for me depending on mood.
I have a husband, kids, and pets. Only quiet in my house at night. I just do my best to block out the noise. Headphones might help. I also sit outside when the weather is nice.
Those situations are when I opt for immersive reading— audio booking with headphones while reading along. Helps lock into the book despite any outside noises
White noise machine
In general it might be good to invest in noise-cancelling headphones, if you’re able to. You not being able to read may be a symptom of you not really being able to relax. They really work very well.
I have a weird thing with my ears and get headaches when wearing headphones. So I cant really use them.
So without headphones and in a noisy environment I find reading the first page difficult, but then I get sucked into the story and dont notice my surroundings anymore. Every now and then I come back to my surroundings and have to work through that first page again.
I don’t need it to be quiet. As long as nobody actively talking to me, I can read
Honestly, I just got used to it. I used to live near train tracks, and in a creaky old house where you could hear everyone through the floors. Now it’s the opposite for me, and absolute silence is distracting.