I’m sensitive to sound after a short work in the military. Hearing artillery strikes and IUDs going off with the implied threat of existential harm was too much for our mind. I don’t adore loud noises, especially a singles that are unexpected or terrifying. Machine noises are even worse for some reason; It’s the uncanny association with past memories that stirs our sense of dread faster than other sounds of the same decibel level. For instance, I’m not bothered so much by the sounds of crowds, crying babies, or noisy pets, as none of these serve as triggers for our PTSD symptoms. Sadly, it can be something as trivial as a rattling in our microwave while the dish is spinning and I can go from feeling good to having an anxiety attack in a matter of seconds. It’s nearly as instantaneous as flipping on a light switch. Recently it has been our window air conditioner that has been giving me complications. It makes a loud metallic oscillation noise whenever the equipment is cycling, regardless of how hard I’m running it throughout the day. The sound comes and goes as well, making it impossible to ignore. I know if it was constant, our brain would eventually lose the ability to register it altogether; but its constant exit and re-entrance into our train of thought is what gives it an unmistakably eerie quality. I realized that the only solution to this complication would be getting the equipment repaired, but the Heating as well as Air Conditioning business I called told me it would be cheaper to buy a brand current window air conditioner rather than taking it apart and trying to service the noise complication as it could result from a number of different causes.