Reply To: People purposefully triggering me because they think its funny.

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#1009529
Marissa

    Hi, this is a very late reply, but as a high school student who has found myself in similar situations, my experiences might help. Usually, I’ve found that when I tell someone I hate the sound or ask someone to stop chewing loudly, they do it louder to spite me (which I kind of get; most people take it as me being bossy) So I’ve started framing it as physical illness instead. Whenever someone near me chews or pops their gum now, I tell them the strong smell (usually mint) gives me a headache. I tell them that I know it sounds weird, but usually if they beleive they’re causing me physical pain, they stop or at least close their mouths while they chew.

    If that doesn’t work, and I can’t put in earbuds/earplugs or leave the situation (which are the ideal situations) I always carry a pack of gum on me so I can mimic the sound (I don’t open my mouth while chewing and try to keep it quiet in case there’s a fellow misophode nearby). It sounds kind of odd, but in a way it helps diffuse my anger because I feel like I’m mocking them. They, of course, have no idea, so I avoid getting into an awkward conversation or argument.

    It might also be worth looking into learning to consciously relax your muscles. It sounds a bit random, but progressive muscle relaxation has actually helped me a lot. One thing I’ve noticed is that when I get triggered, my first reaction is to tense all the muscles in my body. This used to be accompanied by the urge to hit the source of the sound, which sounds a lot like what you’ve described. I asked a psychologist about it and he told me to focus on relaxing instead of tensing when I hear trigger noises. So nowadays when I’m triggered, the first thing I do is think about the rest of my body and intentionally relax any tense muscles. While it doesn’t stop me from nearly breaking down into tears, I stop thinking about doing anything violent. This might help you refrain from punching anyone else.

    I also have a doctor’s note that forces my teachers to allow me to wear earplugs during tests (though luckily my teachers have all been very understanding and I haven’t had to use it yet), so you might look into that.

    The rage your feeling, at least the way you describe it, as well as the self-hatred, sounds pretty much EXACTLY like what I experienced during middle school and most of high school. While I never hit anyone else for making trigger noises, I hurt myself instead; I would scratch myself until I bled, or bite my tongue or the inside of my cheek, often not realizing what I was doing until I tasted blood. You’re not alone. I hope this is helpful to you and any other fellow misophodes who see it. Good luck.