The children were arguing in the back seat and I felt too touched by sound

Dear Delyara, That’s the only phrase that really fits. Not just annoyed. Touched by sound in a way that felt almost physical. Every complaint, every accusation, every “Mum, tell him—” landed right on a nervous system that had already had enough of being contacted from the outside. By the time we reached home, my jaw hurt from holding myself together. I didn’t shout. I’m proud of that. But I also sat in the parked car for an extra minute after they got out, because I knew if I followed them into the house too quickly I would still be too full of their voices to hear my own. Sometimes the best thing I do for a family is take sixty seconds alone before rejoining it.