Matthew Gates 4m 964 #misophonia
The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
The Rage Within: Misophonia
Crackling. Chewing. Swallowing. Munching. Crunching. Lip-licking. Even laughing. The shuffling of a bag that contains food. The ruffling through to grab the next potato chip. The cracking of pistachios. The noise from typing on a keyboard. These little noises are complete torture. Yet nothing is being done to you physically and the person who is doing the torturing has no idea they are doing it.
Common places this torture occurs: home, out in public at a restaurant, or even at work. Common people who do this: family members, friends, strangers, and especially co-workers. There is nothing like sitting in the office, trying to get some work done, and your co-worker, without a second thought, is chewing so loud, it is as if he or she is purposely right next to you and doing it within a few inches of your ear, just to annoy you and piss you off. This is what it is like to live with an unclassified health condition called misophonia.
Misophonia is becoming much more recognized as a disorder and is a reaction to sounds. Not just sound, but amplified sounds. All of these sounds seem one hundred times louder than they actually are. This reaction can cause a rise in blood pressure, stress, irritation, and annoyance. It may even cause panic or paranoia. Feeling of wanting to hurt someone or possibly kill them may arise. It can be that bad.
To someone who may not know what misophonia is and cannot “detect” it, is not easily annoyed by sounds, it is like trying to concentrate on something important, but being unable to do so because of the environment around you is causing you distress and ensuring that you cannot concentrate on what you are doing. There is no pill you can take to make misophonia go away. There is nothing except noise-blocking agents, such as headphones, and comfortable music to block out the sound.
Meditation exercises and yoga may help alleviate the frustrations but they will always return once the sounds begin again. The only way to deal with it is to not deal with it: if people around the office or your family can respect the fact that you have a disorder, and learn to close their mouths when they eat, or at least alert you if they are going to be eating something loud around you, it may reduce the effects of misophonia.
There are different forms or levels of misophonia and tolerance can be built ever so slightly. For some people, any sound, any talking, any chewing sound will set them off in a rage. They may not act upon it, but their heart rate may rise and blood pressure may rise, and they do reach a boiling point very easily. There are others who can tolerate it for a few minutes before getting to that point where it needs to stop.
Those living with misophonia face a struggle each and everyday and hope that they make it through the day without being thrown into a fit of rage because of a noise. Depending on the severity of the condition, it can lead a person to be violent. Those who know someone living with misophonia and are asked to stop making whatever sound they are making should take it seriously. It is not a joke. It is not something that anyone should take lightly.
If you don’t have misophonia but know someone who does: You need to respect the person that has the disorder. Whether you have to stop eating completely or you need to leave the area to finish whatever you are eating, you need to not be in the same room as the person living with misophonia. Whether you are related to the person or you are a complete stranger: heed the warnings and listen to the person living with misophonia.
If they tell you the sound is annoying them, you need to stop what you are doing immediately or at least come to some compromise. This condition can drive the person into an unstable state of mind, in which they may yell at you or possibly cause harm. This is not to say that people living with misophonia are violent, but do not let it get to that point.
Misophonia is usually self-diagnosed as a person just knows: if the sounds bother you or seem amplified, it is likely you are living with misophonia. If you are working in the office, it is highly recommended that you get some noise-cancelling headphones and find a good Spotify, iHeartRadio, Pandora, or YouTube channel, and keep the headphones on.
Make your boss aware that you have a condition known as misophonia and you are simply easing the tensions of living with it. A good boss will respect the fact that you need to do what you have to do. Of course, this does not mean if you work in a public place where you are dealing with people, you probably cannot use headphones, but if you are in an office setting, there should not be anything against it, unless you work in sales or have to answer phone calls for a good part of the day.
More workplaces need to recognize that there are people living with misophonia and it is a real condition that causes stress and anxiety and could even put a person in a hospital. This is especially true for people who need to concentrate hard on their jobs, specifically developers, programmers, accountants, or others who need complete focus and attention on their computer screens. Living with misophonia does not prevent people from fully functioning. It is simply a condition in which noises bother the person to the extreme.
Please recognize and be considerate of people living with misophonia.
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