4 ms·

TIL misophonia. I’ve realised in recent years that I’m quite far on the spectrum. Very obvious when I was young but am exceptionally good at masking now so mos

TIL misophonia. I’ve realised in recent years that I’m quite far on the spectrum. Very obvious when I was young but am exceptionally good at masking now so most people don’t realise. Nowadays I experience misophonia in “attacks” that just come on. Recently I was on public transport and the noise was suddenly so unbearable that I had to get the hell out of there, hadn’t really felt like that since I was a kid. Fight or flight feeling. When I was a kid I had a lot of hearing tests as a result, ASD was not on anyone’s radar. Didn’t realise this had a name.

R_D_Olivaw 1y ago
I carry silicone putty ear plugs with me pretty much all the time. They are very squishy and I can place then in my ear and depending on how thick I make them, they have varying levels of blocking out sound. Super useful if I want extra blocking or just a little light blocking so I can still hear things around me, but dampened. They have been a life changer for me. The best kind I've found are Mack's. Maybe they would help you too.
- beacon294 1y ago
  Ahh I can't stand that pressure feeling, makes me take them out instantly!!
  - freehorse 1y ago
    ANC over-the-ear headphones can also do a very good job against certain kinds of noises, esp in higher frequences.
    - beacon294 1y ago
      I use sony xm5 over ear if tha's the kind of product you mean? I want something overear for running and lifting though... I sweat a lot.
boogieknite 1y ago
my sister has this which led to many awful fights that i didnt understand. now i send this graphic to people in order to describe it: https://scontent.fhio2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/130843014_1580545172130687_1352738877621288823_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=AlIntEHgPBoQ7kNvwHeFM9W&_nc_oc=Adk4_m0IEYB_3fnuGsrwJM5Ep2LoLw4qtf8cBZdPQeBo0fSYCGBGcU-Vcf-QmfGcBtw&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent.fhio2-1.fna&_nc_gid=9dhyBtcIstBLQsvYJfuR3Q&oh=00_AfbpRxqiYfQkCC-xm_Z7GWEuD7A4ploEYYoIMVBVJsgtOQ&oe=6904F0B9 https://scontent.fhio2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/130843014...
- fluoridation 1y ago
  Interesting how they're all noises people make. It's not chirping birds, or running motors, or anything that could occur when no one else is around.
  - mitthrowaway2 1y ago
    This was an interesting piece on misophonia. It seems like it goes beyond just the sounds alone and it may depend on a perception of intentionality behind the sound. https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/misophonia-beyond-sensory-sensitivity https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/misophonia-beyond-sensory-s...
    - boogieknite 1y ago
      great share. the authors so introspective it almost seems like a straw man vehicle. i mean that in a good way, i think? not used to people writing about their shortcomings matter-of-factly like this
      - fluoridation 1y ago
        As in, something designed to facilitate setting up misrepresentations of other people's arguments? That doesn't sound like a good thing.
    - magicalhippo 1y ago
idiotsecant 1y ago
I also thought I was exceptionally good at masking. Turns out I was exceptionally good at showing a differently weird version of myself that was still quite clearly weird.
joshcsimmons 1y ago
I gaslit myself over it for so long. It makes me see red when I hear open-mouth chewing noises. Totally illogical.
- sfink 1y ago
  Oh wow, I was just feeling grateful that I don't have misophonia, but then you had to mention chewing noises. I had that for decades. It wasn't all the time, but it didn't have to be loud or open-mouth or anything. It would just switch on and I couldn't hear or think about anything else. I daydreamed doing violent things to make the person stop, even when I logically knew it wasn't even slightly loud or unusual or ill-intentioned. It almost never happens anymore, thankfully. Once every other month or so. (Note that I am not autistic, or at least undiagnosed and my guess is that I wouldn't be. I just have some fairly mild autistic tendencies. I have a toe on the spectrum, or something. Those tendencies have a pretty dramatic impact on my life, but I think in a mostly neurotypical way -- we boring people can have similar problems too!)
  - SchemaLoad 1y ago
    I have to feel that most people find this unpleasant to some level since "eat with your mouth closed" is such universal manors that gets drummed in to you as a child. But I guess the difference is if you find it gross vs if it sends you in to a fuming rage at the smallest exposure.

R_D_Olivaw 1y ago

I carry silicone putty ear plugs with me pretty much all the time. They are very squishy and I can place then in my ear and depending on how thick I make them, they have varying levels of blocking out sound. Super useful if I want extra blocking or just a little light blocking so I can still hear things around me, but dampened. They have been a life changer for me. The best kind I've found are Mack's. Maybe they would help you too.

beacon294 1y ago
Ahh I can't stand that pressure feeling, makes me take them out instantly!!
- freehorse 1y ago
  ANC over-the-ear headphones can also do a very good job against certain kinds of noises, esp in higher frequences.
  - beacon294 1y ago
    I use sony xm5 over ear if tha's the kind of product you mean? I want something overear for running and lifting though... I sweat a lot.

boogieknite 1y ago

my sister has this which led to many awful fights that i didnt understand. now i send this graphic to people in order to describe it: https://scontent.fhio2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/130843014_1580545172130687_1352738877621288823_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=AlIntEHgPBoQ7kNvwHeFM9W&_nc_oc=Adk4_m0IEYB_3fnuGsrwJM5Ep2LoLw4qtf8cBZdPQeBo0fSYCGBGcU-Vcf-QmfGcBtw&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent.fhio2-1.fna&_nc_gid=9dhyBtcIstBLQsvYJfuR3Q&oh=00_AfbpRxqiYfQkCC-xm_Z7GWEuD7A4ploEYYoIMVBVJsgtOQ&oe=6904F0B9 https://scontent.fhio2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/130843014...

fluoridation 1y ago
Interesting how they're all noises people make. It's not chirping birds, or running motors, or anything that could occur when no one else is around.
- mitthrowaway2 1y ago
  This was an interesting piece on misophonia. It seems like it goes beyond just the sounds alone and it may depend on a perception of intentionality behind the sound. https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/misophonia-beyond-sensory-sensitivity https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/misophonia-beyond-sensory-s...
  - boogieknite 1y ago
    great share. the authors so introspective it almost seems like a straw man vehicle. i mean that in a good way, i think? not used to people writing about their shortcomings matter-of-factly like this
    - fluoridation 1y ago
      As in, something designed to facilitate setting up misrepresentations of other people's arguments? That doesn't sound like a good thing.
  - magicalhippo 1y ago

idiotsecant 1y ago

I also thought I was exceptionally good at masking. Turns out I was exceptionally good at showing a differently weird version of myself that was still quite clearly weird.

joshcsimmons 1y ago

I gaslit myself over it for so long. It makes me see red when I hear open-mouth chewing noises. Totally illogical.

sfink 1y ago
Oh wow, I was just feeling grateful that I don't have misophonia, but then you had to mention chewing noises. I had that for decades. It wasn't all the time, but it didn't have to be loud or open-mouth or anything. It would just switch on and I couldn't hear or think about anything else. I daydreamed doing violent things to make the person stop, even when I logically knew it wasn't even slightly loud or unusual or ill-intentioned. It almost never happens anymore, thankfully. Once every other month or so. (Note that I am not autistic, or at least undiagnosed and my guess is that I wouldn't be. I just have some fairly mild autistic tendencies. I have a toe on the spectrum, or something. Those tendencies have a pretty dramatic impact on my life, but I think in a mostly neurotypical way -- we boring people can have similar problems too!)
- SchemaLoad 1y ago
  I have to feel that most people find this unpleasant to some level since "eat with your mouth closed" is such universal manors that gets drummed in to you as a child. But I guess the difference is if you find it gross vs if it sends you in to a fuming rage at the smallest exposure.