*trigger warning for misophonia sufferers- mentions possible trigger sounds
Imagine living every single day of your life getting annoyed by everyday noises, like breathing, chewing, sniffing,etc. This is how I and many other people around the world feel every. single. goddamn. day.
Misophonia (pronounced miss-o-phee-nee-a) is literally defined as “hatred of sound”. It is also known as “Selective Sound Sensitivity Disorder”. Misophonia has only recently been recognised as a psychological disorder, but millions of people around the world have suffered from it for as long as they can remember. It sadly doesn’t have a cure yet.
I feel as if I have suffered from Misophonia since I was little. It started off with chewing noises. I remember I would get so annoyed with my mum slurping soup, and one of my friends would always chew her sandwiches incredibly loudly. It progressed to loud breathing, sniffing, the “ahhh” noises after someone drank something, and sadly many more triggers.
I came across an article on Misophonia one night and I was so glad that my condition had a name. After suffering with it for so long, you can imagine my relief after I discovered the article.
Most trigger noises of misophonia sufferers are localised around certain individuals. For me, this is my dad. Whenever he stacks/unstacks the dishwasher, eats cereal (both slurping, and cutlery noises), breathes loudly, sniffs, etc etc, it REALLY GETS ON MY NERVES! On very bad days, I’m curled up in a foetal position crying my eyes out while tapping my fingers to try and distract myself from the noise, but on most days I just experience a very strong annoyance, or i just want to shut all the doors in a way to try and get away from the sound.
I have only recently decided to get psychological help for my Misophonia, and it has helped me a lot. I am ever so slowly becoming less annoyed by the sounds, and it is making life just that little bit easier for me. If you are suffering from Misophonia, I would recommend going to see a psychologist, and talking to your friends and family about it. They may not understand you at first (happened to me, my dad told me to “get over it”, which is the WORST thing to say to someone suffering from something they have had for basically their whole life.), but eventually they will.
If you know, or live with someone who suffers with misophonia, please, do not tell them to “get over it.” It may be confusing at first to understand, but once you take your loved one to get some help, you may realise how much their condition has affected their life, and you will both be a lot happier. Also, please try and make an effort to reduce your “trigger sounds”. Your loved one will thank you for it!
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