This is the #60 edition of our My Misophonia Story series. This week features Adam (24) from the UK. Each week we’ll feature a new reader story, so if you’d like to share yours, please drop us a line. Adam, take it away…
Where are you from?
West Midlands, England
What do you do for a living?
I’m currently living on Disability but I also make a bit of money from live streaming
What are you passionate about / what are your hobbies?
Technology specifically PC and Mobile hardware
Reptiles specifically snakes
Gaming
Politics
Football
Snooker
How old were you when you first realised you had an issue with certain sounds?
11
When did you first find out it was called misophonia?
I read an article about it in November 2014 after trying to find people who had the same emotional reaction to certain sounds, that was when I realized I wasn’t alone.
What are your 3 biggest triggers? [bg_collapse view=”link” color=”#eb9500″ icon=”arrow” expand_text=”Click to Show Triggers” collapse_text=”Click to Hide Triggers” ]Sniffing/Sniffling & Mouth Sounds are my only triggers
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Do you have any other sensory quirks?
I am triggered at by the sight of people rubbing their nose, I guess this developed as the result of rubbing your nose is usually to sniff right after. I hate seeing flashing lights in my peripheral vision or anything moving. I put tape over the loading icon on my phone for years because I couldn’t stand having the spinning icon always in the corner of my eye.
Also reading the word sniffing annoys me, far more than any other word but not to a serious extent.
Have you told other people about your misophonia and if so what was their reaction?
It’s really something I try to avoid mentioning and generally only bring it up if I feel I have to, and usually only to people I trust. Most totally understand and try their best to never make trigger sounds around me however I’ve also had the classic “oh no I get that all the time” response.
It’s something I’ve never been able to help ofcourse but I still feel very weird telling people about it. When I was younger people would sniff at me because they knew I hated it, even as an adult some
people can be like that which is amazing to me. Some still just see it as a joke or something that isn’t serious, they really have no idea. I do wish everyone could experience it just once to see what it’s actually like living with it.
What’s your funniest/most ridiculous misophonia-related moment?
When I was younger I used to record vlogs and post them to youtube, when I was editing one of my own videos I sniffed in the video and upon watching it back I was triggered by it so I sniffed back at the video and therefore back at myself. My mom found it hilarious.
What helps you to cope with your misophonia?
When I was younger I always used to mimic the sound that was triggering me back at the person, this got me a few weird looks in public for sure. However as I got older I kind of grew out of that and I rarely do it today, I’m not entirely sure why I stopped.
The easiest way to cope is of course just to leave the situation, I almost always have earphones in when I’m in public now but if ever I was in a situation with trigger sounds I would always just leave, I don’t really have any coping mechanisms that help with dealing with the sounds other than that.
As for ASMR, I do love the sound of rain falling. Something peaceful like that is about as far away from a nasal sound as I can get.
What are your misophonic superpowers?
Well I definitely have very good hearing, I can notice a soft trigger from a mile away but I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. One thing misophonia has definitely helped with is allowing me to empathize better with people who have strange little issues that most people would be confused by.
I never judge anyone for any personal problems they may have, the brain is so complex and clearly it can mess up sometimes and leave you with an unusual problem like the one I have.
What’s the single most useful piece of misophonia related advice you’ve learnt?
Just knowing that there are other people out there with the same problems as me has really help me feel less hopeless about my situation.
What’s your very best life hack?
Address your past objectively with the intent to become healthier mentally. Your past has shaped who you are positively and negatively. There are so many aspects of my personality that make more sense now that I understand my upbringing and traumas. There is so much I use to blame myself for that was never my fault. When you just sit back and make excuses, thats when you become stagnate. You will never reach your true self by making excuses.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with your fellow misophones?
Never feel ashamed for having misophonia, and if anyone ever makes you feel like less of a person for having it quickly remove them from your life if possible. No one chooses to have this. Also can we get a petition to remove common trigger sounds off of TV advertisements? Drives me crazy.
And finally! The quick fire round…
Favourite place you’ve visited:
Blackpool, England
Favourite song:
Me Myself & I – Guardin
Favourite book:
Whatever Next – Jill Murphy
Favourite work of art:
The Starry Night – Van Gogh
5 things you couldn’t live without:
My Earbuds, My Mom, My Games, My Music, Pepsi Max
Very much understand re mouth noises and sniffing. Many dont eat nicely with mouth closed and eat like a cow chomping away. My bugbear at work is banging jewellery on desk. ie Bangles, watches. WHY wear on dominant mouse hand so hits desk literally every few seconds?And clicky pens – do you have to do that on off on off on off? No-one understands at work they think I am weird and over sensitive. Working from home has been bliss except hearing more banging door noises. I moved flats because of someones loud TV now much better. Not looking fwd to going back to office to trigger noises, I used to wear headphones at work all day because of it. Why are people so inconsiderate/noisy ? All misophonias should live in same community. What a peaceful and considerate place that would be.
If ever you find that peaceful community please let me know!! The noisy eaters especially those chewing gum with that horrible squelching noise at every bite and the pen clickers are some of my main triggers. Good luck with maintaining some sort of sanity!!
My sister-in-law’s laugh is a trigger for me. I can’t ask her to stop laughing, and I just can’t pick up and leave when in her company. Need suggestions on how to handle this situation. If I come clean, I don’t think she would understand. Help!
Hi Adam, if you feel like sharing anything you go through, you can definitely contact me. i’m a great listener and diagnosed with misophonia too
I would 100% sign a petition to remove common trigger sounds off of TV advertisements!! PLEASE, the chip/salsa/crunchy food/chocolate adds are so ignorant.