When you’re in the throes of heartbreak, the sound of beach waves isn’t enough to fill the cold, empty space you now find beside you in bed. When half of your stuff is gone and you’re still fighting over who gets custody of the dog, the sound of crickets only makes the world seem scarier. If you can’t afford therapy, the right sound effect might help you sort through the tattered, emotional shards you’re so desperately trying to piece back together. Whether you’re sad, angry, confused, or just plain numb, here are some sound effect to get you through this rough patch:
Cat Trying to Get Back in the House after Midnight
When you’re ruthlessly kicked out of someone’s life, it helps to listen to the desperate cries of a cat locked outside of its own home. Going from window to window, the loud, constant meows growing weary and fearful with every passing minute, a forgotten cat feels exactly how you feel right now. And that’s sort of comforting.
Aging Rotating Restaurant
The lurching, creaking, sputtering gears of an old rotating restaurant perfectly embodies the rut you currently find yourself in. It’s the sound of weariness, the sound of overstress, the sound of elegance ruined. But an aging rotating restaurant is also the sound of resilience, of marching forward even though it’s irreparably damaged and way past its prime. Let the sound of an old rotating restaurant inspire and soothe you in this time of renewal.
Black Box from a Downed Plane
As bad as things are, it’s nice to be reminded that other people have it worse. Like all those people who innocently boarded a flight and never reached their destination. Is this morbid? Sure. But when you’re at your lowest point, it’s nice to be reminded that things could be worse and you could be a pilot suddenly realizing it’s all over and acknowledging that fact out loud.
Pig with IBS
When your emotions are at their lowest point, it helps to listen to the sound of a pig suffering from diarrhea. The sound of pained squeals coupled with near-constant stomach gurgling and the raging torrent of pig diarrhea hitting mud lets you know, as tattered as your feelings are right now, you are not alone.
Smoker with Emphysema
When people feel heartbroken, they often search for things that mirror their feelings. And nothing mirrors heartbreak like the sound of a smoker with emphysema. The sounds of guttural wheezing and constant, desperate, tear-inducing coughing are what your soul feels like right now. Exhausted, damaged, and afraid. It’s okay to wallow—you’ll feel better when you come out of it. The smoker won’t, but it’s best not to think about that – this moment is about you.
Richard Nixon Eating Dinner Alone
The White House tapes that incriminated Richard Nixon, luckily, also recorded him eating dinner alone at his desk. The sound of Richard Nixon chewing, salivating, and swallowing food has a kind of sublime, meditative quality. When your breakup makes you feel stressed, burned at both ends, and too tired to even move, let the sound of Richard Nixon digesting food rejuvenate your soul.
Open Heart Surgery
As excruciating as having your broken heart is, it’s nothing compared to an actual broken heart. Remind yourself of this by listening to audio of open-heart surgeries. It’s an orchestra of EKGs, bone saws, vacuums, somber voices, and guts getting tossed around like sacks of dead fish. It’s oddly hypnotizing, but also an important reminder: Your heart might be feeling like it’s been trampled on, but at least it doesn’t require surgery. Surgery is much, much worse.
Let the soft sounds of others’ suffering put your weary head to sleep!
