Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
↑
9
↓
Problems with sound sensitivity on drive thru? Any advice? (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by Maleficent-Soup23
So I'm a pretty new green bean, I've only been with the Siren since the beginning of August August never got fully trained. I tend to mostly get put on solo drive thru or on warming.
My problem is that I've always been sensitive to loud noises/lots of noise and they tend to cause me to become overstimulated. This mostly happens at drive thru because our cold bar and blenders are right behind where DTO/DTR stand, which combines with communication via headset and customers at the window to really just overwhelm me.
I've recently purchased a pair of loop earplugs that'll just take the edge off the noise while still allowing me to be able to hear the important things. I've been considering wearing one or both earplugs at work to see if it helps at all but I'm nervous to try it. Does this seem like a good idea? Does anyone have other solutions to try?
Thank you!
My problem is that I've always been sensitive to loud noises/lots of noise and they tend to cause me to become overstimulated. This mostly happens at drive thru because our cold bar and blenders are right behind where DTO/DTR stand, which combines with communication via headset and customers at the window to really just overwhelm me.
I've recently purchased a pair of loop earplugs that'll just take the edge off the noise while still allowing me to be able to hear the important things. I've been considering wearing one or both earplugs at work to see if it helps at all but I'm nervous to try it. Does this seem like a good idea? Does anyone have other solutions to try?
Thank you!
sheep_heavenly 3 points 1y ago
I'm also sound sensitive, I have ADHD. I found that medicating my ADHD made the sound sensitivity SO MUCH easier to handle, but I found some things help when I'm unmedicated. Never bought the loop/calmer buds not sure what they're about, but I sometimes wear "musician's earplugs". They're designed to just reduce volume without losing sound quality. When I started wearing the earplugs, people had questions. I just said it was something my doctor recommended, they just reduce volume. If you get any pushback (I never did, for what its worth) you could probably get your dr to sign off on it as an accommodation, even if you don't have a specific condition causing the sensitivity. Practice wearing them and chatting with people in loud areas ahead of time, my earplugs definitely did make things sound just a little different. Enough to be distracting at first.
I've also, with slow but steady success, been trying to work on exposure therapy. I'll go to somewhere busy and just exist there for a certain amount of time, doing something very low-stress no pressure no effort. For me thats knitting or playing on my phone. If I start getting overwhelmed I'll try to self-soothe and calm down at least a little bit before I leave. If I make it to the end of my time I'll treat myself. This is something my therapist had recommended, but I'm not often relaxed enough to be in a good headspace for it. A big issue with sound sensitivity is that if we get overwhelmed too often it creates a predictive amplifying effect on stress. We know drive will be loud, we know it's stressed us out before, and then we're starting an exposure at 50% stress instead of getting to start at 0 or 10% stress.
In the moment when you feel yourself getting overwhelmed, try just like sliding off to wash your hands. It's a fast, necessary break that can be meditative and restorative, and nobody can complain that you need to wash your hands in food service.
I've also, with slow but steady success, been trying to work on exposure therapy. I'll go to somewhere busy and just exist there for a certain amount of time, doing something very low-stress no pressure no effort. For me thats knitting or playing on my phone. If I start getting overwhelmed I'll try to self-soothe and calm down at least a little bit before I leave. If I make it to the end of my time I'll treat myself. This is something my therapist had recommended, but I'm not often relaxed enough to be in a good headspace for it. A big issue with sound sensitivity is that if we get overwhelmed too often it creates a predictive amplifying effect on stress. We know drive will be loud, we know it's stressed us out before, and then we're starting an exposure at 50% stress instead of getting to start at 0 or 10% stress.
In the moment when you feel yourself getting overwhelmed, try just like sliding off to wash your hands. It's a fast, necessary break that can be meditative and restorative, and nobody can complain that you need to wash your hands in food service.
badatlife15 3 points 1y ago
I have the same issue and got a pair of similar earplugs but they were from Calmer. I do feel like they helped a bit even if it wasn’t as noticeable as I had hoped. I lost one of the earbuds so I haven’t been wearing them and feel like I have returned to being more overwhelmed/easily irritated than o was while wearing them. I would definitely recommend giving it a try.
rio8envy7 0 points 1y ago
I’m going to try the ear plugs cuz I get this way too
This nonprofit website is run by volunteers.
Please contribute if you can. Thank you!
Our mission is to provide everyone with access to large-
scale community websites for the good of humanity.
Without ads, without tracking, without greed.
scale community websites for the good of humanity.
Without ads, without tracking, without greed.
©2023 HumbleCat Inc • HumbleCat is a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in Michigan, USA.