Turn Down the Noise: A Practical Guide to Building an Emotionally Healthy Family in a Chronically Overstimulated World

by Sarah Boyd

Genres: Nonfiction, Parenting

272 pages, Paperback

Published April 8, 2025

About the author

Sarah Boyd is a writer, speaker and the founder of Resilient Little Hearts. She is an expert in resilience, faith & courage.

She has an educational background in psychology & neuroscience, and life experience as a cancer survivor. Sarah created Resilient Little Hearts as a resource to equip children to develop important life skills.

Sarah is an Aussie, currently living in California with her husband Colin & two young children

Reviews

[Hannah Gies · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! The practical insights for raising a well-grounded and resilient family in today's ever increasingly loud world were so encouraging to me. Sarah speaks from a place of having endured hardship, as well as understanding what it is like to have small children, and so she has realistic advice for people in different stages of life. Most of all, I loved how her hope and faith in Jesus provided a strong foundation for her perspective. The goal is not to have a life without overstimulation or struggles, as that would be impossible, but to raise kids (and parents) who have the tools to overcome hard things.

[Bryce-Jayne Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve followed “Resilient Little Hearts” on Instagram for years. I love Sarah’s positive, encouraging tone, gentle reminders and thoughtful research. This book is a wonderful reminder to slow down enough to hear our own intuition as parents and to turn down the volume in the external world to better tune in to what matters most.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio
“Children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the care that they receive.”

[Ashley Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really resonated with me. It felt like the author was reading my mind and putting words to the exact conversations I’ve had about noise and overstimulation. As a mom of five (including a baby), I can get overstimulated pretty easily, and I found her approach both practical and compassionate.

I loved that she offered gentle, loving ways to combat overwhelm while also explaining the neuroscience behind it all, which I found fascinating. It struck a great balance between understanding the “why” and offering doable steps for everyday life. I’ve already recommended it to several friends.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Turn Down the Noise, Sarah Boyd covers an often overlooked and challenging issue in modern family life, namely overstimulation. With a background in psychology and child development, Boyd unpacks how the constant noise, distractions, and fast-paced culture of today’s world impact both parents and children and how it can contribute to stress, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation.

As a parent of three, I feel Boyd’s approach is both compassionate and practical. She doesn’t just highlight the problem of overstimulation and where this comes from but she provides real, actionable strategies to help parents create a calmer, more connected family environment. Her ability to blend neuroscience with accessible, everyday parenting advice makes this book informative and empowering.

What stands out most is how Boyd reframes emotional health in parenting. She encourages emotional maturity and self-awareness in a way that helps parents navigate their own reactions while supporting their children but without the guilt and shame of how they got there.

The book offers a refreshing perspective on topics like:
- Understanding how overstimulation affects children’s emotions and behaviours
- Recognising and supporting highly sensitive children and/or parents
- Setting healthy boundaries around technology and media
- Building deep, lasting connections with our children

Boyd writes with a warm, reassuring tone, making it feel like you’re learning from a trusted friend and not an overwhelming parenting expert. Her emphasis on small, meaningful shifts rather than drastic overhauls makes the advice achievable.

As a parent, this book resonated deeply with me. The discussion on overstimulation as a hidden stressor felt particularly eye opening, it explained a lot about the exhaustion and mental overload so many of us experience. Boyd’s insights on slowing down and prioritising emotional well-being is the much needed cure to the relentless pace of modern life. Embrace the things we can change and accept the things we can't.

Turn Down the Noise is more than just another parenting book, it’s an invitation to rethink the way we live, parent, and connect with our children in a world that constantly demands more of us. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed by the chaos of daily life or simply looking for ways to foster emotional health in your family, this book is a valuable and insightful resource. I highly recommend this for any parent seeking a calmer, more intentional way of raising resilient children but not sure where to start.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tyndale House Publishers for the opportunity to read and review this ahead of time!

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this book, Turn Down the Noise – A Practical Guide to Building an Emotionally Healthy Family in a Chronically Overstimulated World by Sarah Boyd. I thought it was going to be more about the noise of voices, media, sounds, and the over stimulation of everything that tries to get our attention and is causing stress. It did cover a bit of that at the beginning. There also wasn’t much biblical application either. It was more based on science. I would have definitely liked to see more of a biblical influence in this book.

The skills taught in this book are self-regulation and empathy based parenting, which I think can backfire if not balanced out well. I am seeing a lot of either over empathy based parenting or checked out parents. There are parts of the book that were helpful, especially understanding of brain development and how that comes into parenting and learning. I agree with several things that were brought to attention, such as too much homework early in a child’s life is not helpful. Along with grades don’t always show the whole picture. That last part of the book provides ways to help slow down, play more, and bring peace into the home.


I felt this book was also geared towards those with younger children, so there wasn’t anything that was helpful for me as a parent of teens. If you are a new parent or parent of a young child (or children), then this book would be much more applicable to you.

[Emily Hamblin · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a parent coach and a neurovergent mom of several neurospice kids, I’ve done a lot of research over the years. I’ve read the books, listened to the experts, and tried the tools—but Turned On the Noise by Sarah Boyd truly blew me away.

This book is so much more than just helpful—it’s validating, sustainable, and rooted in compassionate, research-backed insight. Sarah gets it. Her approach doesn’t pile on guilt or overwhelm; it meets you where you are and gently guides you forward.

I have zero reservations recommending this to anyone who loves or works with kids—parents, teachers, caregivers, grandparents—and honestly, anyone wanting to uplevel their own emotional health in a way that actually feels doable.

[Tessa Poyner · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a world where noise has become the norm, this book was refreshing and practical for a young parent. As someone who identifies as “a highly sensitive person” but does not live in a house with other people with the same temperament, I loved the practical advice on how to manage my own inner world to show up best for my people.

Although many concept were not new, they were laid out in a way that brought fresh perspective and insight and for that I was grateful.

[Ashley Setterlind · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was SO helpful in identifying overstimulation as one of the most challenging parts of this season of my life. The author gave language to overstimulation beyond the most “obvious” forms of it in a way that really resonated with me, and I found that to be extremely helpful. The book also solidified and validated my experience as a Highly Sensitive Person who is parenting at least one Highly Sensitive Child. I strongly recommend this read!!

[Bekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times the writing felt a little redundant, but overall was still a good read. I’m guessing I will want to resource the last few chapters again when setting more media/technology boundaries as children grow. I appreciated the reassurance and encouragement the author provided when addressing sensitive topics that could otherwise have worsened parental shame.

[Jaree W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read! This is geared towards families with children, however, I would highly recommend it to anyone looking into turning down the noise. Psychology and Christianity were well balanced in this book. It’s a must read!

[Jasey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for families with young children.

[Ashley Speed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read. I felt like the book took a little journey off the path towards the last few chapters, but it was still useful reading. 👍

[Hillary Baden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book!! This is a reminder to myself to read this book again!

[Jillian Jacobs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing I didn’t already know, probably more for someone who is new to the effects on hurriedness and technology.

[Christopher-James Neethling · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of good perspectives and insight. But it felt like the author could have said the same thing in less words.