Dealing With Noise

[vivalatapping]

I am allergic to neighbours....if I hear loud neighbour....I get crazy.....

 

[quadratus]

Have you researched the methods used by autistic people to minimize sound issues?

I think it's q...

I also have very sensitive ears myself. [Dropping just one end of a pencil on the desk makes me shudder.] My therapy is myofascial release and SE, (traumatic injury). I'm wondering since fight/ flight response is elevated, maybe the sensitivity is due to the ears listening intently for an outside threat? [i'm learning to think primal.]

 

[JEKBreatheandBelieve]

I'm wondering since fight/ flight response is elevated, maybe the sensitivity is due to the ears listening intently for an outside threat?

I do listen intently which is why I don't want to block sound out completely. I don't know if that's where this particular aversion to noises comes from. For me it is the loud, chaotic noises that bother me the most. I may jump at a pencil being dropped, but I can quickly reassure myself of what the noise is and not become anxious. When in situations with loud noises, I feel like I can't even think any more until the noises stop. I cower and cover my ears more often than not in those situations and though I have been working on coping with them, it's not going well right now I am thinking a device that could help me muffle the sound would be useful while I figure out what else to try.

 

[quadratus]

I do listen intently which is why I don't want to block sound out completely. I don't kno...

I think i understand now. The only thing i can think of is Bose ear muffs, or ear protection, where you can still hear but you are protected from irritating frequencies and loud noise.

 

[JEKBreatheandBelieve]

I did a lot of searching and reading of reviews on Amazon. Got overwhelmed and finally just picked a pair. I got a pair of Pro for Sho ones that muffle sound. They work fabulously. When my kids were arguing (which can often send me into flashbacks or switching) one day, I put the headphones on and was able to stay calm. I wasn't in the same room as them and couldn't deal with them, but it was better than other alternatives. And I went to an event yesterday where there was a large crowd. Beforehand everyone was talking and I was about to put my hands over my ears to block out the noise, but then remembered my headphones. Put those on and it was so much better. I could still hear the noise, which is fine with me, but it was much quieter. I could still hear my friend talking since she was right next to me. The only problems I have so far is that I feel self-conscious wearing them in public and I tend to talk too quietly when I have them on because I don't want to be too loud. Overall, I think they're going to be really helpful.

 

[EmmaOwl]

when the neighbors are target shooting.

Oh one more thing to be grateful for today.... I have neighbors who decided Labor day was great for firecrackers, but they left it at that.

 

[EmmaOwl]

white noise (coming from an airconditioner now, but an air purifier in the winter) helps me manage the rest.

I find this helpful, too.
This summer, rather than adding a plain fan to the a/c, I got a metal air filter, and once in a while it would make a whistling sound. I've had it on and off, it was not loud, but the other night it hit a pitch that put me into a panic. (It's the sound of a train whistle in the distance...long story.) So two nights ago, I had this vent fan plugged in. I did not realize there was a problem - but I had even more nightmares than usual. When I got up and going and figured out what was happening, I decided I'd rather be overheated than to have that noise haunting me 24/7. It makes me shiver! So scared. But feeling like an idiot at the same time. Who is scared of a train whistle, for goodness sakes?

 

[JEKBreatheandBelieve]

Who is scared of a train whistle, for goodness sakes?

I am. I find the creepy. There may be a reason from my past that connects to trains, but I am not sure. I just know I hate train horns and whistles.

 

[EmmaOwl]

There may be a reason from my past that connects to trains, but I am not sure.

Well I have half of a reason - a recurrent nightmare I experienced throughout my childhood included a train whistle.

But I don't know why. I have guessed that I heard one while or close to a specific traumatic incident. It is definitely an experience from when my parents are NOT home, and for me that makes sense as a realistic possibility.

I feel a need to figure out exactly what happened. I know that wouldn't help, but I find it frustrating that apparently no one involved has a clear memory of anything that happened. But train whistles tie into this for me. I'm sorry they bother you too. :(

 

[JEKBreatheandBelieve]

But I don't know why. I have guessed that I heard one while or close to a specific traumatic incident. It is definitely an experience from when my parents are NOT home, and for me that makes sense as a realistic possibility.

I feel a need to figure out exactly what happened.

I understand this. I am guessing the same thing about why train whistles bother me because I know I lived by train tracks during a time during my life when one of my traumas was most likely occurring, but I don't know the facts and I feel the need to figure it out, but really there is no way to. If anyone in my family knows, they're not telling me and I was too young to remember very much just snippets. It's hard and I am sorry you face this as well.