How Indoor Air Exposure Can Affect the Body’s Baseline State
I wasn’t reacting — I was starting from somewhere higher.
I kept looking for triggers.
A reason. A moment. Something that explained why everyday experiences felt heavier than they used to.
What I eventually noticed was quieter than that.
“Nothing was setting me off — I just wasn’t starting from zero anymore.”
This didn’t mean something was actively wrong — it meant my baseline had shifted.
Why baseline matters more than individual reactions
The baseline is where the body returns when nothing is happening.
It’s the background state everything else is layered on top of.
Indoors, my baseline felt slightly elevated — not tense, just engaged.
“Even calm moments carried effort.”
This didn’t mean I was stressed — it meant neutral wasn’t fully available.
How indoor air can quietly raise the body’s starting point
My system stayed subtly active.
Not alarmed. Not urgent. Just never fully off.
I recognized this pattern alongside what I described in a shifted stress baseline.
“Everything landed on a body that was already working.”
This didn’t mean the environment caused reactions — it meant it shaped where reactions began.
When a higher baseline feels like personal sensitivity
I assumed I was becoming less tolerant.
Why did small things feel bigger than before?
This echoed what I noticed in stress sensitivity increasing without a clear reason.
“I blamed my reactions instead of noticing my starting point.”
This didn’t mean I was fragile — it meant my body had less room.
Why contrast revealed what baseline really was
In other environments, my baseline dropped.
Calm felt natural again. Small things stayed small.
This mirrored what I noticed in feeling different in different spaces.
“Nothing changed — except where my body started.”
This didn’t mean my baseline was broken — it meant it was context-dependent.