What is noise pollution and what can you do about it?
Stop for a minute. Turn off the TV. Take off your headphones. What do you hear? If you hear nothing but natural sounds — birds, water, bees buzzing, then you’re…
Tag: Hearing health
Notifications and alarms – why it’s time to silence your digital world
Back in the late 1980s, my Nan bought a Grandfather clock for my Grandad. And my grandad was delighted. He set it up and we all waited patiently for the…
What does tinnitus sound like?
EEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeEEEeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Annoying right? Welcome to the world of my tinnitus. But surely all tinnitus is the same? A ringing sound in the ears. Yes, I thought the same when I…
How going on a silent retreat stopped me farting
I had many expectations about going on a silent retreat. Some realistic (finding some quiet space and alone time), some not so much (writing a novel in five nights and…
Four sounds I’m not looking forward to as we return to normal
On this, the first anniversary of the first COVID-19 lockdown in the UK (23 March 2020), I remember how shockingly quiet the world became when we all stopped going out.…
Why we need to listen more
Five years ago, my tinnitus started. Silence was a thing of the past. Then over the last few years, I become more and more sensitive to and annoyed by noise.…
Stop chewing so loudly – Living with Misophonia
“Crunch, crunch, munch.”Deep breathe in. It’s not their fault they’re eating like a monkey that hasn’t been fed for a week.“Crunch, crunch, MUNCH.”Oh, for fuck’s sake will you just shut…
Coping with lockdown 2? Not really!
Ok, so I may have said that I was prepared for another lockdown. I may have been confident that my coping skills were ready to take anything another lockdown could…
Hush! 