I’d like to give a shout out to Sony MDR-1000XM3 sound cancelling headphones. They are very pricey at about £250, but they have been worth every penny many times over for the relief they’ve given me over the years (am on my second pair after the first died after three years).
Although these are considered best in class (along with Bose Quiet Comforts etc.), the frustrating thing about noise cancelling headphones is that the technology still isn’t quite there to totally cancel sound out. So when I know that triggers are around (e.g. in the office, public transport, on the street, in a shop…basically…everywhere!) I still can’t rely on listening to normal music as you can guarantee that someone will bite into an apple or whatnot right at the moment that the song quietens down.
To counteract this – after much searching I found one perfect rain track (for me anyway) that provides consistent heavy rain and put it on repeat. A lot of rain tracks naturally ebb and flow, leaving you vulnerable to the horror of a few quieter seconds.
I wanted to share a link but it wasn’t allowing that (I think posting links classes it as spam). Anyway, it’s on Google Play so apologies for those who don’t have it – hopefully it’s available on other platforms too for those who might find it useful. It’s called ‘Cats and Dogs’ on an album called ‘Rain Meditation’, and I can confirm that all the other tracks on the playlist pale in comparison to the reliability of this one!