so lately when i go out ive been wearing these earplugs that only attenuate noise by a little bit, since i get overwhelmed really easily by loud sounds (both sudden, like car horn, and constant, like loud music). and they help quite a lot!
but the downside is that they make it really difficult for me to tell how loudly im speaking. they have that effect that you get with earplugs where your voice sounds louder in your head than it really is, so i tend to speak too softly (and i was already very soft-spoken), causing a lot of "can you say that again?" type deals. but then when i speak up louder i can't tell if i'm being too loud (plus it's hard for me to talk too loudly in the first place)!
overall i really value them because they make it so much easier for me to exist in places that would otherwise be difficult or even impossible for me. but at the same time it kind of adds to my social anxiety. ugh.