Overstimulation at work - how to make it better/more manageable?

Hello 🌷
I would like to ask some advice regarding adapting to a workplace environment. I believe I am a highly sensitive person or maybe a neurodivergent, and I’ve always struggled with feeling overwhelmed in social settings and gatherings, especially at work since it’s such a big part of our daily lives.

I currently work in a fast paced industry where people have to collaborate constantly. It’s usually an open space with desks adjacent to each other with no partitions, with meetings, music, and people talking and doing things in the background. The atmosphere is usually rushed and makes me feel like I have to hurry up and catch up with the rest. Naturally, I’m a slow person and take time to understand what is required of me, but this industry requires high efficiency. The bright fluorescent lights, uncomfortable desks, old computer screens and furniture, just everything feels too much for me. I cannot concentrate, I cannot focus. I try and take breaks or use noise canceling headphones, but I have so much trouble just doing simple tasks like reading and understanding the material because I feel so distracted by the stimuli - the noise, the light, people, everything. The work itself is very complex with lots of coordination between people and clients and lots and lots of technical construction documentation, presentations, code reviews, etc.

It’s been this way for me no matter what office I worked at, and I assume it’s mainly due to the field I’m in. I’ve realized that the environment doesn’t seem to fit me at all, so I’m in the process of going back to school and switching my career for something more suitable. Meanwhile, I have to find ways to adapt to the place I’m at so that I can make a living until I start school again. I’m very excited to be back to school because I usually do well when I study on my own in a quiet place, and take the time to understand and process things.

Unfortunately, a hybrid schedule is rare in this field and it’s usually fully in-person. I just feel so drained after each day and I am having trouble getting up in the morning and finding joy in what I do. Other people seem to be doing well and get along nicely, and I just feel like an outsider.

Has anyone felt similarly about their work/school environment? Has anyone had success with adapting to the environments that don’t seem to suit you well? How do you cope and how do you make it more manageable on a daily basis? I understand that most work places are kind of similar, especially offices, so I’m feeling a little hopeless… Are there better environments?

Thank you so much. Any advice would be appreciated 🌷