There will always be noise. The trained, enlightened mind knows how to tune them out. The unenlightened do not. That’s why Zen monks can focus all day, where most people have the focus of a fish.

The slightest rustle of the leaves can make the birds twitter.

The slightest background noise can make the untrained mind lose focus.

Distractions at home, at the office, school, or college, can seriously effect our productivity, our inner peace, and our happiness.

Thankfully, there are smart ways in which we can block or tune-out background noises. Doing so enables us to focus for longer, so we can keep our focus, stay inwardly peaceful, and be productive.

For some, this is easy.

There are many go-to strategies for handling noise.

We can:

• Use ear-plugs
• Use noise-cancelling equipment
• Listen to music
• Make changes to our home / office / study space (or simply move to another room)
• Sleep better so we’re less irritable
• Eat properly, because you’re not you when you’re hungry (thanks, Snickers).
• Avoid stimulants, which excite the mind and make us more reactive to sound and information.

Like I said, it’s easy for some.

Many people have it bad.

Some people suffer from misophonia (hyper-sensitivity to noise). This is no mere distraction. People with misophonia can suffer from depression, anxiety and extreme anger caused by noise.

That’s the extreme case.

Many others suffer from general noise sensitivity.

A scientific study looked at 65,000 people and discovered that half of all workers are stressed by noises at work.

This is a failure of government and big corporations. We here at THE DAILY MEDITATION are advocating for companies and the government to do more to lower noise levels at work so employees are healthier.

Sadly, many people ignore these needs.

Many people who are sensitive to noise are judgmentally labeled as “high-strung” even though scientific research shows that sounds do indeed have real physiological effects and can seriously reduce productivity, performance, and inner peace.

Noise can lead to stress. This causes a raise in heartbeat, increase in pulse, digestive problems, and many other heath complications.

If those background noises are getting your blood up, start dealing with stress using these 12 strategies.

That will help reduce the stress.

But what about the noise?

 If you, like me, are hypersensitive to sound, you may have looked for solutions without success.

Some of the obvious strategies simply don’t work for us. Headphones and ear-plugs can cause pain for people with ear complications. And it is not always possible to change our environment.

When we are stuck with the noise, we must train the mind to be able to tune-out those distractions.

Here’s how.

How To Train The Mind To Tune-Out Noise And Distractions

• Use this powerful mudra (hand gesture)

Mudras are hand gestures used in meditation and different belief systems.

Science shows that mudras can boost mental performance.

You can learn about mudras and how they can help you here.

One mudra is especially important for mental focus. It’s called the Hakini Mudra. And it is simple to do.

By holding our hands in the position described in that link (above), we boost both focus and positivity. This creates positive energy that will relax the mind and increase concentration.

• Learn to appreciate the sound

Human-beings tune-out sound using auditory selection.

Auditory selection is the process through which our brains tune-in to important sound and tune-out unimportant sound.

People who are easily distracted by sound may have lower auditory-selection skills than other people. This means they are less able to tune-out noise that they do not want to hear.

There is a way around this:

The trick is to learn to accept the noise.

Here’s an example:

Imagine you don’t get along with a colleague at work (let’s call him Tom). Tom is a grouch and is often angry. Plus, he is always chewing gum. When you hear tom chewing gum you’re reminded of his anger. So the sound of chewing gum actually makes you stressed because it makes you image Tom snapping at you.

But what would happen if you weren’t bothered by Tom’s anger? You would be less sensitive to Tom’s chewing because you’re no longer bothered by the reminders of his anger.

There is a root cause why certain sounds grate us. Weed-out that root cause and you will be less sensitive to the sound.

1. Do the right kind of meditation

Many people are surprised to hear that meditation can cause hypersensitivity to light and sound.

If you meditate and you are sensitive to sound, there could be a connection.

Some meditation techniques such as Dhyana can potentially cause this sensitivity. If you use this technique, try switching to one of these 31 different meditation techniques.

Meditation can also help relax the mind. Spending ten minutes doing mindful breathing is a bright idea.

Like this idea? Read this guide to boosting concentration with meditation.

1. Plant your roots firmly in the ground

Have you ever noticed how there are times when you have excellent focus and times when you’re distracted by the slightest gust of wind?

How do we explain his aberration?

It’s like branches of a tree. The closer a branch is to the root of the tree, the less it will shake when the wind blows. The further away from the root we go, the more the branch will tremble and shake.

When we are close to our root we are more grounded and less likely to be disturbed.

When we are too easily distracted, we need to get grounded again. This is easy to achieve. Take a walk. Meditate. Have a laugh. Restore your spirits. When we are at peace within we are less effected by the noise of others.

5) Be mindful of relaxing sounds

We can tune-out noise by being more mindful of relaxing sounds.

Remember the last time you were utterly engrossed in a book. You were so absorbed in the book that you were hardly even aware of the sounds that usually distract you.

When we’re engrossed in a) what we’re doing, or b) a relaxing sound around us, we are less reactive to noise and distractions.

Here’s a smart idea:

Find a way to introduce a relaxing sound into your home / office. Then train your mind to become absorbed in that relaxing sound (meditate on the sound).

By training the mind to be more mindful of relaxing sounds we naturally tune-out distractions.

Smart strategies, aren’t they?

These enlightened ideas will help you to tune-out noise so other people don’t distract you.

Always remember to shield your inner peace from the noise of others.