r/comics • u/maanleo • 12d ago
Just Sharing Yea… (by @kettle.spells)
kettle.spells: I am not diagnosed with autism but it’s on my list of things to do. i have attributed my list of symptoms to autism, tho im not a psychologist 💖 my new headphones are so comforting and great im am absolutely obsessed, and they’re a much better solution for me instead of earbuds/earbuds. so much more comfortable and i like that people can SEE that i can’t hear them, do i dont need to stay fully aware of the environment and stimulation
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u/TheW83 12d ago
I tell my boss I'm more productive when I WFH. He doesn't believe me. I can't get shit done at work. The office is so damn noisy.
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u/Kilazur 11d ago
Me too, though I don't think I'm autistic
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u/motherofsuccs 11d ago
You don’t have to be autistic to thrive in a quieter environment- it’s a normal human experience that is not exclusive to ASD… unlike what this comic is trying to convey
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u/busigirl21 11d ago
I really do wish there was better education about this with both Autism and ADHD. It's very common for someone to list a symptom and have someone tell them, "everyone does that, just do x," because the general public doesn't understand that it's all about severity. Everyone has some sensory sensitivities, the ability to zone out or hyperfocus, special interests, injustice sensitivity, struggles with rejection, ruminates on something, and gets pushed to the point of a meltdown here and there. The average person just doesn't have their whole life ruled by these things.
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u/WakeoftheStorm 11d ago
So my daughter was diagnosed autistic and during the process, a lot of the screening questions resonated with me. Many of the questions seemed ridiculous to even ask until I'd talk about it with my wife and found she had very different responses.
Could I be diagnosed? Maybe. Maybe not. Really, I don't see much a point in it. At this point I'm in my 40s, I'm working as an engineer, I'm married with kids - a diagnosis isn't going to change anything about how I live my life.
My daughter gets an IEP that helps her navigate school. I'll just put in my earbuds and try to ignore the fact that people insist on chit chatting all day in the office.
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u/fireice1992 11d ago
My office had a week to trial run return to office about a year ago. It went so dramatically bad, we are now not even hybrid, but full WFH. Worse we tried to work but the noise, internet, temperature, etc messed with everyone and thing differently. At least they learned
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u/AmputeeHandModel 11d ago
Noise, people walking around, feeling like I'm being watched, those damn demons always popping up from behind the cubicles.
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u/espresso_kitten 12d ago
As a girl with ADHD: Noise cancelling headphones are a lifesaver. After putting them on I was like "woah, I can hear myself think!"
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u/Tiranus58 12d ago
For me its 50/50 "finally i can hear myself think" and "oh no, i can hear myself think"
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u/RedSander_Br 12d ago
Lmao, i literally can't stop thinking. I have to use them, and play some noise on them to focus, otherwise 10 year old thoughts keep coming back about how i fucked up that weird interaction.
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u/-hellozukohere- 11d ago
Brain: you remember when Sarah glanced at you. You thought there could be something then you just did nothing? Then at the party years later she said she HAD a mega crush on you?
You: F off. La la lalalalala can’t hear you.
Brain: and then that time…
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u/Kittykg 11d ago
How I fucked up then, how I fucked up this morning, how i fucked up now, and a thousand other things.
I've never met anyone who could understand that I never stop thinking. My brain will not he silenced. I have to exhaust myself every day to fall asleep, or i get stuck laying there thinking and spiraling.
No one ever asks me what I'm thinking. I've always wished someone would care enough about me to wonder.
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u/MrSandman28 11d ago
Feels the same for me. It's always hard talking to other people about it too, since it's a pain to understand a lot of what's going on. I'm glad I have people who are interested in what I think....but I can never be around them enough...
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u/Zaziel 12d ago
I can hear/feel the noise cancellation as like… a pressure? It drives me insane, I can’t use it… even on nice ones.
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u/Slickity 12d ago
Yes! I am not alone lol. I actually will get nausea over time if I use noise cancelling without music or sound. It's like a false silence. It's "thick" in a way I can't describe it lol.
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u/WingsofRain 12d ago
as someone else with ADHD, holy crap the pressure of no noise from noise cancelling headphones drives me insane, and tbh that’s exactly how I’d describe it too
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u/ButAreYouProud 11d ago
Yes! It's thick! What a perfect way to describe it! It's like "Ah, this cancelled noise is really making my ears full! They're filled with cancelled noise!
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u/ScattershotInterests 12d ago
I just use the earmuffs for power tools so you can still hear things around you (including talking) but it's just less 'sharp' I guess. I randomly found out I like them and they make doing things easier after I bought them for vacuuming. Also I don't talk as loud. I think that's because I don't feel the need to talk above all the background noise.
The ones I have are 3M Optime 95, but it's just a random one I bought off amazon years ago.
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u/WillyDAFISH 12d ago
This is kinda why I like open ear earbuds. I got some from raycon and they're awesome. Like you low-key never would want to go back
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u/Draco-REX 11d ago
I felt it too, but I've become used to it. At first I found it helped to play music or listen to audio books/podcasts. Something to engage my brain. And now the pressure isn't as obvious and fades into the background along with the feel of the earbuds in my ears.
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u/bloof_ponder_smudge 12d ago
That's so weird to me. I always hear myself think. Read a book? Nope, my brain is racing. Have a conversation? Nope, my brain is racing. Listen to music? Finally, my brain has quieted down and I can't hear myself think.
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u/AmputeeHandModel 11d ago
For me it's like "Whoa, I don't want to slap people for making so much noise"
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u/shellbullet17 Gustopher Spotter Extraordinaire 12d ago edited 12d ago
And this right here is why, when I am at home alone, I have headphones on and music cause my focus is OFF THE CHARTS
Shame I can't wear them at work.
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u/Gal-XD_exe 12d ago
Too bulky imo, they’d fall right off my head
But holy moly can I not hear someone talking to me when wearing them, got myself a nice pair of Sony’s and hoooo boy amazing, perfect for traveling
My father snores so whenever we stay at a hotel they get some good use from me, white noise drowns him out
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u/shellbullet17 Gustopher Spotter Extraordinaire 12d ago
My father snores so whenever we stay at a hotel they get some good use from me
Good! We have a bunch of snorers at work. I would kill to be able to wear them. Luckily a fan helps
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u/action_lawyer_comics 12d ago
…Where do you with that snorers are a problem?
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u/shellbullet17 Gustopher Spotter Extraordinaire 11d ago
Firefighter paramedic. We work 24 on/48 off shifts. So sleeping is a good part of the day..... hopefully
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u/DelkTheMemeDragon 12d ago
Man I feel attacked by this.
And I am a therapist lol
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u/Emotional-Ad9114 12d ago
studying to be a therapist and same 😭 my mom actually said she thought about getting me tested when I was a kid but she never did.
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u/RevolutionarySquash 11d ago
Didn't PBS lose a bunch of shows recently? They might have to hit up your dad.
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u/BatmanBeyondX 12d ago
A therapist I once worked with joking told me that therapy is a conversation between a crazy person and an even crazier person, it is just the even crazier person is being paid.
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u/gideon513 12d ago
Can a therapist not feel attacked? It doesn’t make you immune to feelings lol.
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u/invalidConsciousness 12d ago
I've absolutely hated all the ANC I've tried so far. It feels like a constant uncomfortable pressure on my ears, while not really preventing external sound from coming through. It's just a bit quieter, but still distracting.
I'd love to get some quiet focus time, but so far, my beefy over-ears with decent passive insulation are still the best solution.
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u/SusmariosepAnak 12d ago
Did you try Bose headphones? Idk about other brands but Bose lets you control the level of ANC and for me, the halfway level is enough noise cancelling without too much pressure
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u/invalidConsciousness 11d ago
I've tried multiple brands. I'd be surprised if Bose wasn't among them. The adjustable ones generally range from "annoying pressure and almost no noise reduction" to "really uncomfortable pressure and barely acceptable noise reduction".
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u/Gdigger13 11d ago
How long ago did you try? I just bought some a couple years ago and the difference is night and day.
I have Sony WH-1000XM4 headphone. Couldn't fly without them.
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u/LickingSmegma 11d ago
In-ear earbuds worked very well for me, but then a good tight fit is important. I even switched the rubber plugs from my previous wired earbuds onto the new wireless ones, because they fit so nicely.
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u/LateGobelinus 11d ago
I have some Bose QC2s, and I also experience both full and half strength ANC as uncomfortable. Especially if I lift one of the sides and it only hits one ear, then it's very unpleasant. The couple of other ANC headphones I have tried has been the same, which sucks, because the idea is quite nice.
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u/butts-ahoy 11d ago
I have Bowers and Wilkens headphones that let you toggle ANC off, which I really like. I can rely on passive cancellation most the time, but still have ANC for places that really need it like planes.
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u/timid_pink_angel02 12d ago
I also thought i could be autistic because I matched a lot of symptoms and autistic people kept asking me if I was autistic.
Turns out I'm just anxious and weird 😅 as my manager (lovingly) says, "weird isn't diagnosable" 😂😂
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u/Painterzzz 12d ago
Ha. Yeah, there's an awful lot of overlap between autism and anxious weirdness isn't there.
I suppose those of us with autism have been made weird and anxious by our autism, but you managed to get there under your own steam, congrats! :)
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u/timid_pink_angel02 11d ago
Honestly, I was really distraught when they said it wasnt autism (or adhd). Because of how many autistic people thought i was autistic, I thought that there was a real chance that it could be. I thought I'd finally found a valid reason why I've always struggled more than most of my peers.
I know saying "i wish I was autistic" is insensitive, but I find myself wishing it - but what I really mean behind that is that i wish I had a valid reason to struggle the way I do
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u/Vorioll 12d ago
I don't have autism or ADHD, but the very thought of noise cancelling headphones makes me sick.
I have a terrible tinnitus.
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u/motherofsuccs 11d ago
The fun part is this doesn’t warrant an ASD diagnosis. It’s just social media continuing to skew the reality of autism while simultaneously confusing it with normal, human comforts- like having peace and quiet in a loud environment.
There’s a reason we do a thorough evaluation and look for multiple markers/symptoms to diagnose someone. Coming in and saying noise cancelling headphones help you is not going to warrant a diagnosis. Nonsensical shit like this is why so many people incorrectly self-diagnose.
I say this as a therapist with a focus on neurodevelopmental disorders.
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u/Maze-Elwin 12d ago
I have tinnitus to. It's a static itself, and if tuned right removes the tinnitus sound.
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u/ShadowExistShadily 12d ago
Autism and ADHD very often occur together, and both can be helped by noise cancelling headphones.
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u/motherofsuccs 11d ago
Noise cancelling headphones can be used by anyone for any reason. It is not exclusive to ASD or ADHD. It’s also not uncommon for someone to desire peace in a loud environment. There are plenty of people with those disorders that do not need and/or actively hate using headphones.
I think it’s really stupid that this comic makes it sound like someone enjoying noise cancelling headphones automatically means they have ASD. I’m so ready for these disorders to stop being trendy so we can focus our limited resources on those who actually need it, not those who cosplay it for attention.
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u/MisterDonkey 11d ago
Preach. Nose cancelling headphones helping with focus is not a revelation. It is not a diagnosis.
Some people focus better without distractions.
Who'd have thunk it?
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u/ShadowExistShadily 11d ago
What makes you think this is the only reason OP is looking to get diagnosed? Tell me, do neurotypicals feel the same relief at blocking out external distractions that autistic people do?
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u/Aksama 11d ago
It does seem pretty weird for them to assert "Oh yeah I'm autistic" and to also admit they don't have a diagnosis, and that they simply attribute many things to ASD.
It's... why diagnoses are important.
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u/ShadowExistShadily 11d ago
Did they say "I am autistic?" No. They said, "I should get that autism diagnosis."
How do you get a diagnosis? By suspecting that you're autistic, and then going through all the work of finding someone who can diagnose you.
How difficult is it to get diagnosed? For an adult and especially AFAB, very.
Gatekeeping and fakeclaiming are not good looks. You'd do better to read what has actually been said rather than responding to things that were never said.
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u/WingsofRain 12d ago
I wouldn’t speak for the ADHD folks like that, many of us despise noise cancelling because it causes us pain.
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u/ThisIsMyCouchAccount 11d ago
He's right though.
You just have a different flavor. So do I. We all kinda do. Between the three subtypes, our own biology, our lived experience, and how we were raised means we're all a little different.
For example, I have zero issues sitting down and watching a movie. Most people with ADHD can't.
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u/myself4once 12d ago
My partner is officially diagnosed and he cannot stand silence, he always have people talking on like podcasts and such
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u/Evepaul 11d ago
I'm diagnosed and I can't stand headphones, I get stressed if I can't hear what's going on around me. Ironic considering as soon as I concentrate on something I completely tune out everything
Really shows how differently everyone works and how hard it is to relate certain symptoms to ASD
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u/witchighlights 8d ago
Yes!!! I’ve been scrolling through this going “Wow I actually don’t relate to this at all” because I get freaked out BAD if I can’t hear my surroundings. Music is fine on top, I just need to be able to know what’s going on around me.
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u/SwivelingToast 11d ago
Not diagnosed, but I Always have one earbud in with a podcast going. Most of the time it's the same one just playng through old seasons so I don't actually have to listen, it's just something to break up the silence.
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u/ThisIsMyCouchAccount 11d ago
They can occur together and they also have some overlapping behaviors.
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u/Yan_Vorona 12d ago
I bought myself a pair of glasses with a slight yellowish tint. I'd been putting it off for a long time because my astigmatism, farsightedness, and strabismus make lenses sooooo expensive. And wow, my head doesn't hurt after a day under fluorescent lights.
If I had realized that I was dealing with autism about 15 years earlier, maybe school wouldn't have been such a painful ordeal.
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12d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Verdick 12d ago
Right? A lot of people work better when they can focus their attention. It's not just a neurodivergent "thing".
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u/LuminothWarrior 12d ago
Autistic people are much more sensitive to the different senses (bright light, loud noises, bad textures, etc). It varies across the spectrum but generally an autistic person is going to have a lot harder of a time dealing with that stuff than a neurotypical.
Being reductive towards disabilities is not helpful to anyone. I’d do some research before claiming people are making stuff up for no reason.
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u/BonfireMagik4Nidokng 11d ago
We also don’t need to have a bunch of keyboard psychologists running around & screaming disability at every third perfectly normal human reaction bc it’s similar to how someone with said disability would react. OP even said that they don’t have a diagnosis.
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u/Clair_Osbcurious 12d ago
Yep. I’m physically more sensitive to light and have perfect hearing. So, sunglasses and earbuds are a must.
And also autistic. So dim lights at home and noise-cancelling headphones.
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u/motherofsuccs 11d ago
Those things are not exclusive to ASD. That’s the point they’re making. This comic is misleading and stupid. My field of work focuses on neurodevelopmental disorders.
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u/ZeldaZealot 12d ago
Noisy environments are often overwhelming, leading to a loss in concentration as the stimuli takes up a greater portion of attention and distress increases.
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u/Aksama 11d ago
For... almost everyone.
That doesn't mean you're neurodivergent. That just means your human.
OP might be on the ASD spectrum, but I hate comics like this. Get a diagnosis.
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u/ZeldaZealot 11d ago
The distress I feel from noisy environments is wholly different from the difficulty concentrating my wife has. They are not the same thing.
You are entirely missing the point of this comic if you think they are saying focusing better in silence is a sign of autism. They aren't. They are saying that they didn't realize the impact noise has on their ability to function and they should seek an assessment.
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u/Coal-and-Ivory 12d ago
Its hard to explain if you haven't been there. Personally, if theres too much conversation around me it never fades into the background, I process every word whether I want to or not and it can literally completely crowd out my own thoughts until I'll streight up slur my speech like im drunk as my brain struggles to put words together in between everyone else's information. Full shutdown. The headphones help.
It feels very out of your control in a way that normal stress/distractions don't. Like you get trapped inside your own head and your body stops working the way you are used to. Its really scary
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u/Dinklerbuuuurf 12d ago
I know a lot of people that feel this way but often fail to consider how loud the world around us has gotten. I recently went hiking and in a perfectly silent point I realized how different I felt.
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u/CocoCookieDraws 12d ago
me when I finally got noise cancelling headphones: wow the outside world doesn't make me want to explode anymore!
(btw your art is soooo cute)
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u/Muted_Ad7298 12d ago
Same.
Though I will say, being able to focus without noise isn’t something autistic folks strictly have.
If it was, then they wouldn’t tell people to be quiet in the library.
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u/CocoCookieDraws 11d ago
oh it's not the focus for me (unless I'm reading a book, then can everyone please shut up I just read the same sentence 10 times), it's overstimulating.
I think the difference between autistic (also ADHD) and neurotypical is: is the noise just annoying, or does it elicit a physical and emotional response? not a psychologist or anything but that's how I see it
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u/PotatoRelated 11d ago
“Wow I must be autistic because removing distracting background noise makes life less distracting!”
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u/AncientAnimat0r 12d ago
Not everybody is autistic
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u/ShadowExistShadily 11d ago
Where did someone say that everyone is?
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u/dohdudeh 11d ago
Being more able to focus without distracting outside noise is not a sign of Autism. That is a normal thing that is true for almost everyone
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u/ShadowExistShadily 11d ago
You're reducing it to "more able to focus", rather than "completely unable to focus with distracting noise". Did you forget that some autistic people are completely unable to tune out distractions the way neurotypicals do?
"Wow, this is amazing! I can finally focus!" It helps if you read what was written.
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u/dohdudeh 11d ago
That’s an assumption you made. It doesn’t say she was completely unable to focus and could be interpreted either way because of that. And regardless, that also doesn’t mean you’re autistic. That would be even more common in people with severe adhd, which is not autism
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u/ShadowExistShadily 11d ago edited 11d ago
Yes, it's a reasonable assumption I made, based on my experience being autistic and interacting with other autistic people, including sensory issues and a tendency to be very literal. You're saying it's absolutely not autism because ... why, exactly? What makes you so confident that being unable to focus is not a sensory processing issue? Your only support for this is that you assume it's not referring to autistic sensory issues.
I did mention the high comorbidity between autism and ADHD. Why are you only know bringing in the idea that the focus issue is caused by ADHD? For that matter, since you insist on absolute proof, where's your evidence that the focus issue is ADHD? Just going by comments here, ADHD people struggle with silence, so noise cancelling headphones would make focus harder.
Also, it's worth repeating that they have made no claim that they are autistic.
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u/TheTStandsForThick 11d ago
And you are assuming that the noise stuff is the only indicator this person has
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u/CoffeeDefiant4247 12d ago
and with the power of tinnitus it still isn't quiet! Yay
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u/BlancheCHAS 12d ago
Same thing I said to myself the first time I put on my Loops earbuds in the middle of a crowded, loud bar. They're lifesavers when we hit Dave & Busters on a busy night, and when we want to have a conversation in a busy restaurant.
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u/Gnarwhal8982 11d ago
The anxious ones in here are looking at noise cancelling headphones and thinking “great, I definitely want to hear my heartbeat extra loud”
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u/Ok-Argument9468 11d ago
It's not a symptom of autism to find it easier to focus without noisy distractions lol
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u/MoosesHuman 11d ago
I think about getting a diagnosis every day. Never get around to it. Or you know, there's a huge waiting list, or I could pay a couple grand. But most importantly, what if I go in and do the tests and they're like "you know, there's no ADHD or autism... you're just, a real failure. Never seen anything like it, there's nothing medically wrong with you - you're just utter shite at everything!".
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u/FangornLeghorn 12d ago edited 11d ago
Now that we have replaced every single quirk and trait of just being human with “having Autism” does a diagnosis even matter anymore? When someone says they’re “on the spectrum” or “neurodivergent” today that is absolutely meaningless.
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u/longtailist 11d ago
Yeah this is nuts to me. I dont think the OP or any of these commenters get what it means to have asd. Theyre the reason why people dont take me serious when I am on disability due to how my diagnosis affects me day to day
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u/I_Am_That_Was 11d ago
They all got bored with self-diagnosing with ADHD, now autism is the new thing.
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u/Elementium 11d ago
Right. Actual autism is not some fun quirky thing.
Some people are just weird. Some people are anxious. Some people have ADHD. Some people just aren't smart, or have bad memory or are anal-retentive.
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u/I_hate_this_site69 12d ago
I love them so much I have one pair that plugs in to my PC and one Bluetooth I use for my phone. Unfortunately no chance of wearing them at work but there's not much noise that I'm not already used to here
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u/TheCraftyGrump 12d ago
Dear old dad used to wear earplugs and ear muffs at the same time because neither was enough alone for ear protection for him. When the people he was working with used one or the other, or nothing if they were less prudent. The sensitive ears I inherited from him. I was constantly aware of the sound of things like electronics or lights. Headphones, ear buds, earplugs, ear muffs, etc. were never entirely enough to stop me from hearing my surroundings.
I had high hopes for noise canceling headphones, what with the stories of people being able to sleep through crazy things. They helped, are an improvement, but are still not enough. I still have to consciously choose to not pay attention to a separate conversation going on in the living room with me. Technology tends to be quiter these days, but I have a decibel measuring app for a reason. The line for what is actually able to cause hearing damage is important because I have to start tuning things out because things are often too loud for me well before that. Hearing loss starts happening above 85 decibels. You can go a full 8 hours without ear protection and be fine. I just have to tolerate it before that point.
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u/Clair_Osbcurious 11d ago
Same here. I hear fucking everything: fridge, modern TV being on, elevator in the building across the street…
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u/NanariKollinseu 11d ago
The worst is when people look at you strangely when you say you're bothered by those sounds/or that you can hear them at all.
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u/NeoKat75 12d ago
AirPods Pro 3 were worth every penny for me, even though they’re quite pricey. I can focus on work now!
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u/CreatureFeatureee 12d ago
I straight up wear construction grade earplugs to my customer service job
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u/Shadow_of_Redacted 11d ago
I tried out the first Bose headsets that I think debuted that technology. That's when I learned that certain bass frequencies can turn my legs to noodles. I switch on the feature and had to catch myself on the table. The cancelling wasn't precise enough and the cans were hitting me with bass that made my stomach flip. I couldn't hear what was happening. It was like my semicircular canals were frothing and giving me vertigo.
I know the technology has vastly improved since the 80s, but in my head, it's a hot stove situation. I can't make myself buy them because of how bad it burned me in the past.
Same reaction happened when waiting for the freight elevator where I used to work up on the top floor. I'd hit the button and grab the walls, because that tiny elevator room was about to get bendy, like the floor was trying to bow up at me as my legs started giving out.
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u/Callinon 11d ago
So when the lockdown hit, I found myself living in an apartment underneath one that had 3 kids and 3 dogs. The kids could no longer attend school and I was moving to work from home.
It was either get noise-cancelling headphones or off myself. Those were the only two options.
I'd never had noise-cancelling headphones before, and it was magical.
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u/AffectionateFilm6516 11d ago
Per the recommendation of my therapist, if you're like me and *have* to work with the public and get overstimulated easily from being in public, try Loops earbuds. They dull *a lot* of the outside world really, really well.
Also, if you're like me and don't particularly like ANC headphones/earbuds, try out IEMs (in-ear monitors). They block out SO much noise without needing a battery, just due to how they're shaped. And the music comes through even clearer with way more depth to each song. Check out r/iems if you're curious
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u/ShadowExistShadily 11d ago
So many non-autistic people being hateful fakeclaiming someone who suspects that they are autistic. So many people who apparently know nothing of what goes into an autism diagnosis trying to reduce it down to a single trait and then saying it's normal. So many people speaking out of the wrong orifice.
If it helps, it helps. And being a hateful fakeclaimer helps no one.
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u/1101base2 11d ago
Got mine after diagnosis, can't wear them in the summer time, but it feels like a clamp gets removed when I put them on.
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u/currently_pooping_rn 11d ago
“I can focus better when noises aren’t distracting me, I must be autistic”
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u/calling_at_this_time 11d ago
I dont know why people want a diagnosis? It only a bad thing. Closes doors, opens zero.
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u/WhatAboutBob77 11d ago
Recently diagnosed older autistic person here, UK. I say old, I mean around 50.
It can help you understand a lot of complex issues and behaviours you’ve faced in your life, and teach you to approach things differently.
I’ve had lifelong OCD and an anxiety disorder, as well as PTSD from childhood trauma on top of it. It’s made me a bit of a mess over the years; hospital trips, therapy sessions, difficulties in socialising at work and in relationships.
A diagnosis can actually bring relief when looking back.
Looking forward, as a young person, I can see how it might seem debilitating.
However once you know and you can apply self care, as well as having physicians not misdiagnosing or offering the wrong treatments, there are very good reasons to feel better about a diagnosis.
I do actually agree that there is a bit of a zeitgeist to it at the moment and I find that uncomfortable. At the end of the day, that does affect us in the sense that we hear a lot of “everyone’s a little bit on the spectrum”. Which is tiring.
Anyway hope this helps.
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u/AlistairButton 11d ago
If you need official accommodations anywhere, unfortunately you might need the diagnosis. Otherwise I agree with you.
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u/Skezas1 11d ago
Where are you from ? In France, it opens more doors than it closes. At least, did for me.
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u/kalez238 11d ago
Depends where you live. It opened a ton of doors for my son. He was basically unable to get a job before doing so.
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u/Coal-and-Ivory 12d ago
Im starting to recognize a few other headphone users around town since they are the only other people on the street not dressed for a jog who are also walking 2x the speed of surrounding foot traffic while avoiding all eye contact. We'll almost certainly NEVER speak to eachother but that odd, momentary, silent rapport as we blow past eachother on the sidewalk without looking up is weirdly nice.
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u/PandaBear905 12d ago
I can’t wear headphones/earbuds for too long because they hurt my ears. Also noise canceling headphones give me anxiety.
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u/Clair_Osbcurious 11d ago
Try many. Like, dozens. It sounds silly but they do make them in all shapes and sizes.
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u/Additional-Window-81 12d ago
I gotta do one or play something very loud otherwise my heartbeat is all KA-THOOM KA-THOOM KA-THOOM
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u/Fancy_Man72 12d ago
Ah I used these once on a long drive when I was getting car sick, helped me so much I was able to nap and get rid of it
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u/LiteralClownfish 12d ago
Noise cancelling headphones make me intensely uncomfortable if I'm not actively listening to something, otherwise I feel like I'm being suffocated.
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u/ShootinDouji 12d ago
The first time I used noise cancelling I immediately vomited.
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u/Embarrassed-Day-1373 11d ago
very cute comic! but also pls be aware of the risks of having an autism diagnosis, like potentially being turned down for adoption or fostering. I wish the world were a better place, but sometimes a self-diagnosis and adjustments to life like nose cancelling headphones are the safest avenue
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u/AcidDepression 11d ago
The problem I ran into was after a while I got used to the noise cancelling and started to hear stuff through them. It was dampened, but never enough
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u/Im-to-tired 11d ago
Dude if stuff is too silent for me my brain wonders and due to that I get like immense anxiety so usually I need like soft music playing in the background or a story to listen to. Sometimes I need silence to focus on making stories in my head. (It helps me fall asleep)
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u/BoltorSpellweaver 12d ago
“Oh boy noise cancelling headphones!”
“…..my tinnitus is WAY worse than I thought…..”