The room felt too bright

Dear Delyara, The room at work felt too bright today in that specific fluorescent way that makes everything feel slightly unreal and overexposed. I don’t know why certain environments affect me so much, but they do. By midday I felt emotionally scraped thin. Everyone around me probably looked ordinary enough to themselves, while I was sitting there feeling like my whole nervous system had been rubbed the wrong way by the light, the noise, the interruptions, and the pressure to stay socially smooth. I think overstimulation is one of the quietest modern forms of suffering. It’s hard to defend because nothing dramatic happens. You just get worn down by being inside the day.