Inspired by a recent thread. This question might be triggering, so be careful. For me, even imagining these sounds is mildly upsetting.
Basically, which noises immediately ruin your day? For me it’s mostly sudden loud sounds, in order of most awful descending:
Tap for sounds
- Unmuffled compression brakes (when trucks or buses stop and go BANG)
- Smoke detector / emergency alarms
- Emergency services sirens
- Balloons popping
- Car horns / honking
- Angle grinders
- People practically smashing plates while violently washing dishes
- Vacuum cleaners or other power tools
- Yelling / screaming
- Alarm clocks
Surprisingly I don’t seem to hate “commonly hated” sounds like: nails on chalkboard, tinnitus, knife on plate, styrofoam rubbing, microphone feedback, babies crying, chewing, snoring, flies, repetitive tapping, dog barking.
Once, I went to a birthday party where the parents let their kid jump on the balloons and pop them one by one on purpose. I had to leave immediately.
If I wear earmuffs, it basically solves the issue. So I’m careful and on the lookout for situations that could make these sounds. I cover my ears with my hands if I don’t have them on me.
Balloon popping, thunder, fireworks, and gunshots are up there for me. Anything sudden and loud really but those in particular I’m vigilant of. Can’t really watch live action movies because of it, at least not in theatres. Requires a lot of pausing a scene, pacing around a bit before unpausing or just letting it play while I stim until it’s over. I’m more prone to unhealthy stims with noises like this.
Open mouth chewing or people with powerful jaws chewing is uncomfortable. Power chewing makes me feel like I’m going to get eaten. My hair stands on end and I get really fight or flighty. As a kid peers would chew in my face since I was so reactive to it and that definitely made it worse. I’ve given someone a black eye from aggressively spasming when they did it to tease me playfully so its one of those disclaimers I’m pretty quick to spout off from the “Don’t do this or we will guaranteed have a bad time” list.
Otherwise random noises can be highly upsetting for no reason I can discern then be completely fine later.
I also need to know what caused a sound and will openly question where it came from until I figure it out or someone tells me. I wouldn’t say it’s an irritating experience, more of maybe… somewhere in the realm of mild to moderate curiousity and anxiety.
Yeah I have my own share of unhealthy stims for stressful situations… also seconded for having to know what caused a noise. Thankfully I’m pretty good at identifying sounds at this point, but the occasional investigation still occurs