When Ordinary Noise is Too Much — You Might Have Misophonia

Every sound has the potential to cause anxiety or worse

Stop the noise!

My daughter was closing cabinet doors. Then she was breaking down boxes from Christmas packages to put into recycling. They became repetitive sounds to me. Every single sound she made was causing me to jump and get “pissy.” And not just jump in an “oh, I’m startled” kind of way. I was trembling and feeling more and more anxious as the minutes wore on. I wanted to run out of the room. It was like I could not handle a single sound. You don’t even want to know what my daughter thought about my behavior. Not pretty.

There’s a disorder.

I started Googling. I did not have to go far. Medium’s own ◦•●✿ Christina M. Ward ✿●•◦ wrote something I could relate with so much. I realized I wasn’t going crazy, nor was I alone. There’s a name for it. Misophonia. To quote Christina (who quotes Web MD):

If you are unaware of Misophonia, it is defined as:

Misophonia is a disorder in which certain sounds trigger emotional or physiological responses that some might perceive as unreasonable given the circumstance. Those who have misophonia might describe it as when a sound “drives you crazy.” Their reactions can range from anger and annoyance to panic and the need to flee. The disorder is sometimes called selective sound sensitivity syndrome. — WebMD

Explains a lot.

After reading Christina’s article, I realized that I have been suffering from misophonia for the better part of my life. I have ended relationships because I couldn’t stand the sound of a person’s chewing or even the way they swallowed their coffee. It really wasn’t them — it was me. I wasn’t lying. I didn’t know why I couldn’t stand them.

If I am somewhere that is loud — I start to freak out. And not your garden variety freak out, but full-on anxiety attack kind of freak out. Like, get the Valium freak out (I’m kidding, actually I meditate). This revelation explains why certain sounds in the office triggered me. When there was an office before work from home and Covid-19 interrupted our normal. Keyboard clacking is my kryptonite.

Since we have been in relative isolation with much less opportunity for uncontrolled interruptions — my startle factor is off the charts. Text messages make me hit the ceiling. I’ve had to set my cell phone to silent mode because the sound bothers me so much. All of the various alarms on my computer drive me insane. Don’t even get me started with the doorbell. If there’s a fire alarm — I have to lie down afterward. Dogs barking outside — I can hear them from eight floors up, and they drive me batshit.

Now I can figure out how to cope.

Thank you, Christina Ward. You made me realize I’m not going crazy — or at least I have a reason for why I feel this way, even if it feels kind of nuts. I have to explain to everyone else that it’s my issue, not theirs.

Christina Ward’s article provides a link with more information about this disorder, which I am re-posting below. Besides Christina’s writing, this one was a great resource.

Next time someone complains to you that you chew too loudly, there’s a good chance that they suffer from misophonia unless you are chewing with your mouth open.