A lot of times in peoples bios they'll say how they have ADHD or anxiety. Recently, I've figured out that I may have something called misophonia. Its less heard of but I read somewhere that 1 in 5 people are affected by it. I thought that if I were to put it in my bio I should include an explanation. Misophonia is like being allergic to certain sounds. When people with misophonia hear trigger sounds it can cause fight, flight, freeze instincts or a deep anger. People have different triggers and a range of reactions. About two years ago, I started to freak out whenever I heard certain people sigh or breathe. In these two years it's gotten worse and I finally decided to sit down and try to figure out what was going on because it didn't feel... normal. After research, I've come to the conclusion that I probably have misphonia. I don't have a diagnosis yet but I still think this is worth sharing. My triggers are inconsistent but tend to include: -Breathing -Sighing -Fingertip tapping -Saliva sounds (To anyone who knows me irl please don't feel self conscious because these are just human sounds) What my triggers trigger: -Extreme discomfort -Anxiety -Sometimes if I can't "escape" the sound I'll start crying or getting teary eyed -If I don't have any headphones I'll try to discreetly cover my ears with my hands by leaning on it or by pretending to toy with an earring Recently, I heard someone sigh and tears appeared behind my eyes. Somedays that's all it takes. It's can be unbearable. But, somedays I'm okay. To make my life easier I use noise cancelling headphones frequently and carry earplugs in my back pack. Some times though, the noise canceling isn't enough. Those days I listen to EPIC: The Musical instrumentals like the dork I am on top of the noise canceling. When that isn't enough, I barricade myself in my room. I've also grown to dislike silence. Silence amplifies all the little sounds. All the quiet breaths and saliva drips are in the spotlight making them a focal point. Sometimes I try to fill the silence by talking or I'll tap my foot because for whatever reason when the sound comes from me I don't mind. It's not all bad though and I'm getting help. What I have isn't extreme and doesn't change a lot about my life. But the emotions are real. Sometimes on a day I feel normal, I can convince myself that there's nothing wrong and I made it up. But I didn't and whatever you're feeling isn't made up either. We're all allowed to feel emotions even if they don't feel justified. Even if it's just annoyance, your emotions are valid and I think that's something we need to remember.
This is a more vulnerable part of me that I'm sharing. Please be respectful. This was intended to be a lot shorter but I just kept writing.
