Vent (good humoured)

Ohhhh yes those too! :-)

Yes I much prefer conversations with actual content. I'm lucky that a few of the people at work have similar interests to me so we can talk about those. I really struggle with some others though. Is it just me or the "I know everything about everything and I know more about it than you" type people irritate me the most. So I don't engage with conversation with them at all. I do feel a little bad about that - they probably assume I'm really rude : p

I do feel a *little* bit bad about it but I'm just tired with it. I'm more than happy to have a proper conversation about hobbies & interests etc if the time is right & I'm interested, but I'm fed up with what I've come to call "Verbal handshakes"; "Good weekend?"/"Yes, thanks, and you?"/"Can't grumble, well I'd like to but I can't hahaha". I'm also waiting for the next time someone says "Urgh, it's wet out there isn't it?" to which I will reply "Yes, it's raining."

I do this too IDWCC : ) I used to try really hard to do the small talk thing, then I felt bad for not doing it. Now I don't care anymore : p it's made me much happier not worrying about it

I can vouch for those too - best £25 I ever spent. The *only* downside I've found with them is that if you walk around with them in your ears you can hear your footsteps reverberate through your head a bit as the metal weighty end wobbles a bit when your feet land (mine do anyway!). But it's well worth it to be able to walk through a restaurant or office without everyone's words tumbling into your ears like leaves in a rainstorm falling into an unfiltered storm drain!

I think the Flare Isolate plugs will be more in my price range, and I'm only really after noise cancelling not ability to play music as well. Just had a quick look online and the reviews seem to be good. That's really helpful information, thank you. 

I will think of your neon sign when I wear them! 

:-)

I use Bose QC20s which I got for about £150 I think, on the recommendation from someone on this forum & love them. These are in-ear ones, wired not Bluetooth (you can get Bluetooth versions too) and without any music playing they give just a bit more isolation than my passive Flare Audio Isolate plugs (£25 I think). Add a bit of white noise, rain / nature sounds or music and all I can hear is the fire alarm if it goes off (thankfully!).

The QC20s are very comfortable for hours on end once you've chosen the right size tips from those supplied, the only thing that took a bit of getting used to for me was that when you turn on the noise cancelling it's a bit like someone has sucked all of the air out of your ears - less noticeable with music playing but still needs getting used to.

Not as strong in the bass as my Beats Bluetooth in-ear plugs, but worth it for use at the office.

I think we are super-considerate, because we notice the small details that can make a lot of difference.

You're right - why am I worrying about what other people will think about me wearing ear plugs when they have no concern at all about what I think about their unnecessary noise? I will refrain from the neon sign thanks, but do you have any recommendations for a good pair of noise cancelling ear plugs?

Yes I agree. I wonder if our sensitivities tend to make us super-considerate?

Yep I do wear earplugs, both passive and noise cancelling, with music / white noise in varying combinations.

I'm beyond worrying about drawing attention with them - I'd be happy with a big neon sign saying "Look! I'm wearing these because of you, you noisy b****!" :-)

I totally agree - why put your call on speaker phone if no one else needs to hear the conversation or take part it in? Now we can't think straight because of their conversation which is of no relevance or interest to us! I have had my mobile phone on silent mode for the past 10 years because I just can't cope with the beeps/rings etc when you receive a message or call. Not only does this benefit me but also anyone around me. Unfortunately, most people are not considerate of these things (although they probably don't find the noise as painful to be fair). 

Could you wear ear plugs in the office? I am looking to get some but worried I will draw more attention to myself if they are visible. 

Oh boy, one of my (many) bug bears. I have customers call in when they're out, no reference number and on speaker phone. I tend to just ask them to turn off the speaker phone as it makes the call more bearable. 

Me: Aghhh!!!!