thanks, I am pretty sure that is the issue, I try to think rationally, but when it's sudden, and loud I still have that reaction, and it takes a long time for me to calm down from it.

It's worse when my inner being is not at peace, when I'm already angry or stressed out about something.

The problem is we don't live in a world of sound proof rooms and bubble wrap....learning some self-soothing techniques, deep breathing exercises, relaxation exercises would probably benefit you greatly. There are some pretty good sound machines, (I keep one on my nightstand) that are not too expensive. They give you the sound of rain, or the beach, or a tropical rain forest, etc. Things that generate a form of white noise in the background that might help you not react as much to the other noises coming from outside. Sometimes when your mind is concentrating on one thing, it's easier for it to not react so much to the other.

I know if I'm having trouble settling and being still so I can fall asleep...its a good bet my $40 sound machine is not turned on, and I am not hearing the soothing sound of rain in the background of my otherwise quiet bedroom.

Take care,
Kat

that sounds terrific, I did some research online, that suggested the same type of thing, what I've done in the past is put earphones in with soothing music with ocean sounds or chanting with drums and soothing sounds. that was really helpful, but for some reason the day I posted this, nothing was helping me, and there's just one person here who's laugh makes me have that same reaction as when someone is scraping a black board with their nails. That person is actually a good person, but her laugh makes me feel instantly extremely pissed off when I'm having a stressful day already.