Bubble Building

When traveling a few weeks ago, I had an experience that set in motion some changes I anticipate will stick. For five days, I was in an environment with far less sensory input than what is typically present in daily life.

A few things were immediately noticeable. There were no TVs in the rooms, nor was there a hotel bar with music and noise streaming from it. There were no trail lights or streetlights, nor was there traffic passing by or through. There were no restaurants open 24/7, no quick runs to the store and no competing responsibilities.

The lower level of sensory input took some time to get used to and at first struck me as slightly unsettling. For me personally, it was about 24–36 hours before things began to settle. However, once the adjustment happened, the result was clearer thinking, the processing of situations that had gone unprocessed, increased sleep, increased energy, and an overall feeling of calm rather than constant urgency.

This experience was eye-opening for me. As someone who intentionally works toward balance, meditation, and overall well-being, I thought I had a good handle on managing input. Yet this environment illuminated just how much background stimulation normally surrounds us.

I found myself commenting to several people at the training that it felt like we were operating in a bubble. We were still aware of world events. We were interacting with colleagues in person and staying connected with loved ones through calls and FaceTime. But the constant overlay of sensory “static” was turned way down.

The question I kept returning to was simple: How do we bring some of this back into everyday life?

In the 1990s and early 2000s there was a societal joke about raising your kids in a bubble—those who tried to protect their children from every possible adversity, struggle, or painful experience. That concept was widely criticized and eventually abandoned as too overly protective and unrealistic.

Now, revisiting the idea of a “bubble” feels different.

For many kids and adolescents today, life is a continuous stream of input. They wake up to their phones. They lie in bed scrolling. They go to schools where classrooms, hallways, and outdoor spaces are full of constant sights and sounds. Homes often have music playing, televisions running, dogs barking, neighbors moving about, lights flashing, screens changing, cars passing, and people constantly in motion.

All of this becomes what we call “background noise.” But in reality, it often sits squarely in the foreground.

Life right now is incredibly noisy in terms of stimulation.

The earlier idea of building a bubble around children was meant to describe overprotection. Today, the concept of building a sensory bubble around ourselves and our kids may actually be an act of nurturing rather than restriction.

The goal isn’t separation or isolation, nor is the goal that the kids not participate in activities where they might experience disappointment or discomfort. 

Instead, it’s about preserving a sense of peace that allows for deeper connection—to ourselves, to others, and to our communities.

Next week’s post will explore ways we can begin managing the sensory fire hose that many of us are drinking from every day—a fire hose that is, in many ways, dehydrating our peace and our connection.

Without some kind of filter on how much sensory input we take in, there is little space left for reflection and very little reprieve for the nervous system.

Next week we’ll look specifically at bubble building for young children (birth through age 10). How can adults begin to build and strengthen a shelter from the sensory overload storm of modern life?

Through small, strategic, and intentional choices that filter out the steady stream of multi sensory noise, it is possible. to create spaces between the sensory swirl.  Less anxiety, more peace child.