How to cope with Misophonia?

[lrina]

For those who don't know, misophonia is a somewhat rare disorder. I don't think it affects your personality much, mainly just makes your life a thousand times more stressful and difficult.

A bit of background might help; i started developing it at 7-9 . back then it seemed more like a pet peeve, since i wasn't seriously triggered. i ended up getting a few more "pet peeves" and they were beginning to get a bit more serious around the time that i was 10, but still not really enough to call a disorder. It only started getting out of hand by the time i was 11, and by that point it was obviously more than just a pet peeve.

I'm bringing this up is mainly because of school. In English, we had to move seats not too long ago. And this girl across is obnoxiously snapping her gum and making disgusting mouth sounds that make me want to hit her so badly. I finally had the courage to ask my teacher if I could move because I was starting to get serious anxiety from this and couldn't even focus in class or on my assignments, and thankfully the teacher said yes. But ofc, it couldn't end there; the next seat that i moved to just happened to have another girl who ate a lot during class with an open mouth! i don't even know what to do about it at this point. i can ask to move again, but that'd seem suspicious if i kept on asking the teacher if i can move. plus the other available spots aren't even much better, so it'd probably be pointless. And right after English, it's lunchtime which doesn't help my misophonia at all.

All of this is seriously causing me a lot of stress and I can't keep on doing this. i literally cannot escape my misophonia, there is always a big risk that i will hear it at home which causes enough anxiety as it is. but if i even have to hear it for a long period of time in school every single day, this will just make my disorder so much more intense. i would seriously appreciate any advice on how to cope with it, or even what to do.

[maverick2022]

Have your parents talk to the principal and see if you can get permission to wear earplugs or headphones during class if you think it will help. There is something called binaural beats that only works with headphones and ensnares your brain into a mental state depending on which frequency you use. It does this by creating a tone in one ear and a tone with a different frequency in the other ear. The difference creates a brain wave which entrances you into a mental state. It's worth a try. It will help if you get a letter from your doctor explaining your disorder and a recommendation for you to wear them.

[lrina]

oh yeah, i've heard of binaural beats. they never made much sense to me, but it's not like i ever gave it a proper try, so i probably should. thank you!!

[DonkeyDan]

I bever knew this was an actual thing, I just thought I was an intolerant person lol.
Yes, I struggle with this, lip smacking and loud yawning especially. Out unnecessary yawning in rages need the most. I don't have a way to deal with it, I just tell the person to STFU! 🤣

[DonkeyDan]

Thanks for the MHO

[Wraith_Cemetery]

I totally know how you feel. I was diagnosed with Misophonia in early university. Growing up, people always told me to "get over it" and other things because they don't understand and think you're just being stupid. Even the comments to your post show how it's still greatly misunderstood.

One of the only ways you can slightly decrease the way you react to sounds is by subjugating yourself to them on purpose at varying intervals and utilize exposure therapy. I've done this many times over the years and it has certainly worked even just a bit.

Major triggers for me are pencil clicking, loud swallowing, gum chewing, hand clapping, and many others. They still trigger me but less now than before due to this type of therapy.

[lrina]

very helpful, thank you!

[007kingifrit]

is this a diagnosed disorder? have you heard directly from a doctor?

this sounds like stuff that would piss off anyone. kids are annoying at that age. who lets kids chew gum and eat in class? that's not something we even used to allow

[lrina]

it's not diagnosed; but it's pretty obvious at this point that it's more than just an annoyance

[007kingifrit]

well people are not accurate or trustworthy measures of their own body. the least qualified person to know you... is you.

i remember EXACTLY the same thing at that age and if anyone did that around me today i'd still shout at them. but you won't encounter such annoying kids forever. it sounds like you just don't tolerate bullshit very well... and you shouldn't.

[lrina]

it's clearly a disorder though, it's not normal to feel fear just because someone made a sound that you don't like. plus i've taken misophonia therapy for it a few years ago (a complete waste of time and money lmao) and to me, it seems to be quite obviously misophonia. and i've searched bit on the internet about people's experiences about misophonia, and mines were very similar (if not the same) to theirs

[007kingifrit]

you cannot google something and then decide you have it. you were looking for the answer you googled and found what you wanted to find. google gives you what you ask for.

a person cannot diangose themselves. ever. it's normal to be pissed at stupid teenagers. they are awful.

only a doctor can give you a real diagnosis. otherwise you end up with med student syndrome

[lrina]

goolge says its self diagnosable but ok. and i don't think feeling fear and anxiety just because a human ate with an open mouth is considered healthy.

[n4meAL]

lol I also have some kind of mental illness OCD (level EXTREME ) and Anxiety Disorder

[Aiko_E_Lara]

Have you tried meditating? I guess it has something to do with short attention span. Like spoiling your mind into focusing on those little things. Meditating helps.

[Juxtapose]

Ask a medical professional about some things you can do. You might need medication 🤷‍♂️

[Adityaindian90]

Exercise regularly and listen refreshing songs 🎶

[SignedAutographs]

What?