This is the #29 edition of our My Misophonia Story series. This week features Marie (17) from Germany. Each week we’ll feature a new reader story, so if you’d like to share yours, please drop us a line. Marie, take it away…

Where are you from?

I’m from Germany but I’m an exchange student in the US. I’m going home in a month

What do you do for a living?

I’m a student

What are you passionate about / what are your hobbies?

I am a huge american football fan and my favorite team are the Seahawks. I’m also very passionate about learning new languages. I speak German, English, and Spanish, and I’m learning Korean and Dutch. Last semester I played tennis for my high school.

How old were you when you first realised you had an issue with certain sounds?

I’m not exactly sure but it’s been some years. I think it could have been when I was around 12.

When did you first find out it was called misophonia?

A few years after I realized that some sounds just really annoyed and bothered me.

What are your 3 biggest triggers?

Definitely chewing, the sound of whispering so things like ASMR videos on youtube really bother me (it doesn’t bother me when I have a whispering conversation though), and heavy breathing.

Do you have any other sensory quirks?

Sometimes when I try to blend out the sound, if I see the person doing it even though I cannot hear it, that bothers and distracts me.

Have you told other people about your misophonia and if so what was their reaction?

I try to explain it to people but a lot of them don’t really take it seriously. Sometimes when I ask people to stop what they are doing because of my misophonia, they do it again to annoy me.

What’s your funniest/most ridiculous misophonia-related moment?

I don’t remember something funny or ridiculous but when I used to sit at the table with my stepbrother and he’d chew unbelievably loud, it would bother the living hell out of me. In my head I would think about how I wanted to slap him and aggressive things like that but I’m actually a sweet and friendly person who’s never slapped anyone. I just get mad at the people who trigger my misophonia but once it’s over I’m fine.

What helps you to cope with your misophonia?

I put in my headphones or try to concentrate on a different sound (that doesn’t always help though). Sometimes I really just try to block out the sound by pressing my hands or fingers over my ears or I make sounds with my mouth to oversound it. Knowing that it’s misophonia and not me, that helps a lot too.

What are your misophonic superpowers?

White sounds help me fall asleep and I believe that I am a great listener when it comes to music because I listen to it to hear every little thing.

What’s the single most useful piece of misophonia related advice you’ve learnt?

That headphones are my best friend, that I have to stay calm, and that it is not the person’s fault but my misophonia’s.

What’s your very best life hack?

“Don’t dream it, do it!”.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with your fellow misophones?

Make choices that make you happy and sometimes you just have to put yourself in front of others. Also don’t let your misophonia pull you down.

And finally! The quick fire round…

Favourite place you’ve visited:

I’ve been to 16 countries, so this is a hard one but I have to say Havana, Cuba or Madrid, Spain.

Favourite song:

Navajo by Masego

Favourite book:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky

Favourite work of art:

Blue Lovers by Marc Chagall

5 things you couldn’t live without:

Music, football, tv shows, art, and planes/ transportation