I'll block out sounds when it gets too overwhelming with music using headphones but I'm kinda worried about damaging my ears with having it too loud especially on the bus cause my phone sound doesn't go high enough without being above the recommended level. Also sometimes adding the music can just cause it to be more overwhelming but without it it's overwhelming in like a bad way so.
I completely relate to this. I also will turn my headphones up to maximum and my phone up to maximum in order to drown out sounds, and if that’s what I have to do to protect myself from Bad Sounds, then that’s what I have to do.
I have learned that certain Good Sounds block out the world “better” than others. For example, a song may have loud parts and quiet parts in it. In order for the quiet parts to be blocking the world out, then I have to turn it up so high the loud parts are hurting my ears. This isn’t the best situation, so when I’m in a desperate need to block out The Whole World, I turn to white noise.
White noise is steady, unchanging background noise. The sound a radio makes when it doesn’t find a station is the classic. There are TONS of amazing websites where you can stream all kinds of white noise, such as rain, wind, cars on a highway, crickets- you name it, you can find it. There are also apps you can download for times when you can’t stream. The one I use the most is A Soft Murmur. It’s free, it’s very simple to use, and it also has an app you can download for free (you can pay money to get extra sounds but the free ones are already great).
So I use this when I need to make the world Just Shut Up. Because it’s a steady sound, not going loud-and-quiet like a song, I can turn it up juuuuust high enough to block out the world and no higher. This protects my ears AND my brain better than a song. It’s also less overwhelming than a song. Very often even my favorite samesong is Too Much, and so I go for the nice shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh of white noise.
Another really, really good thing are noise-cancelling headphones, but for these you have to spend money. But they are WORTH it if you can save up. These block sound even when they’re playing NOTHING, as long as they’re turned on. If you have these, then you will not need to make your headphones as loud in order to block out the world.
Sometimes, as an autistic, you have to trade off between the health of your body (your ears) and the health of your mind to avoid a meltdown. Having your headphones too loud for a short time to stop a meltdown is worth it, for me. Once I have calmed down or once the Horrible Sound has stopped, then I turn them down again. (I check now and then by lifting one ear up to see if the noise is over).
Also, I have noticed, that many headphones and phones have a REALLY quiet “maximum recommended volume level”. The truth is, the device doesn’t REALLY know how loud the file you’re listening to is. So if you feel it’s not hurting your ears and isn’t really that loud, then it’s fine to go above that. I do it for quiet songs all the time.
So protect yourself from the bad sounds, my friend. Use the white noise, use noise-cancelling headphones if you can afford them, and turn it up when you have to (but don’t keep it there, as soon as you’re out of the environment, turn them back down).
Be safe from meltdowns, and protect your ears as much as you can while doing so.