It’s that time of year again! Thanksgiving. A time to sit down with friends-
Sorry. A time to sit down with friends and family, and-
Ahem. Friends and fam-
AH. FRIENDS AND F-
Okay. It’s actually a time to scream "STOP CHEWING WITH YOUR MOUTH OPEN" at least 50 times in your head every five minutes.
A time to have every single thought cut off by the smacking of lips.
A time to claw your pant legs to shreds, because Aunt Mary just won’t stop tapping that damn fork again that damn plate.
The abysmal dread is growing, and it’s going to be around for the next week for those of us with misophonia.
For many, these are minor annoyances. Yes, little Richard’s chewed food is a disgusting sight (and, if you’re honest, you could do without the sound), but for some, these actions are downright torture. And Thanksgiving is the single worst day of the year, because there is no escaping the sounds.
Misophonia is a condition wherein certain sounds, often defined as ‘soft,’ ‘wet,’ and ‘scraping,’ send one into a rage that dissipates only once the offending sounds are removed. Chewing, smacking, gum cracking, sniffing… these are all in an informal top ten list of the most horrible sounds to those with misophonia. And all are so very often present at the dinner table, leaving sufferers with a sense of dread as the holiday approaches.
Misophonia is a newly-defined condition with no known ‘cure.’ Headphones, earplugs, and physical distance are the only for-sure ways to stop the onslaught of anger one experiences when hearing these sounds, which makes a dinner table filled with relatives expecting conversation that much worse.
I will concede that it sounds like a fake condition. Like, there are just some people with a lower tolerance rate than others for dealing with certain sounds. There are, however, certain classifiers that one can use to diagnose someone with this disorder, as well as a brain wiring that appears to be different than that of those without the condition.
Anxiety is often present with misophonia, and it frequently has ties with atypical brain layouts that deal with the crossing of senses, like synesthesia. Actions taken by those who have misophonia border on the extreme, from not going to places where these sounds will be heard (like restaurants) to violent outburst when a sound continues on too long.
It really, really sucks. All these minor inconveniences really add up.
And, I’m sorry to say, the best that you can do this holiday is grit your teeth and wait for the meal to end. Maybe someday there will be some sort of suppressant, but until then, know that there are others out there, suffering just as you are, and at least one is taking pity on you and wishing you a speedy meal.
