#hearingdisorder

- Always have some gum with you. The sound of your own chewing will help to block out the sound of everything else!

- If you have long hair, wear it down. It helps to block your peripheral vision, which makes it easier to try to ignore people making mouth sounds so you don't snap and them and sound like a crazy person.

- Bring backup ear protection! I usually have headphones on, but headphones can die. So in addition to the headphones, I have 2 pairs of earbuds and 3 pairs of earplugs in my bag, plus a portable battery to charge my headphones (which I have had to use before).

- Also, know how to make makeshift earplugs (just in case). You will need gum for this! Depending on how big your ears are, chew up 2-3 pieces of gum until they're soft enough to easily mold, but not too soft to easily hold a shape. Wrap in paper towel/aluminum foil (just enough to cover the gum so it won't stick to anything) and stick it in your ear.

*this is not foolproof, and I wouldn't recommend doing it on a regular basis because there is still a potential that gum will get stuck in your ear, but it has gotten me out of some emergency situations.

- Remember that these people are not trying to hurt you. They don't know that you have misophonia, and don't realize that their sounds affect you. They have no malicious intent towards you.

-Keep on feeling the love,

🧸𝑀𝒾𝓈𝑜🧸

Another thing I find important is not viewing this as something to be ashamed of. I found myself trying to hide my condition from people, dodging questions about why I always had my headphones on, or why I would leave the room when people ate. But to get over this, I had to change my way of thinking:

Misophonia and hyperacusis are not made up. You are not being dramatic, and people will not make fun of you for it (and if they do, they're objectively terrible.) These are invisible disabilities, and they are just as valid as visible ones.

Something else I had to get over was a toxic positivity mindset - specifically, "It could be worse."

Whenever I would hear this, I would minimize whatever I was going through. I would say to myself, "at least I don't have depression," or "at least I still have my sight!" I was hoping it would make me feel better, but surprise, surprise:

It didn't.

Your suffering may not be as bad as someone else's. But it's still bad It still hurts. It still makes life difficult. Those feelings are valid, and they deserve to be heard. So don't ever let anyone tell you that your feelings aren't valid just because someone else might feel worse.

-Keep on feeling the love,

🧸𝑀𝒾𝓈𝑜🧸

TRIGGER WARNING: listing audio and visual triggers of misophonia (will be indicated with ❗)

Hi!

I was diagnosed with misophonia the summer before I began high school. This led to a lot of emotions that I'm still trying to deal with.

It was a relief, first of all - I think that this problem had been slowly developing for years. When I hit puberty, I got moody - angry at everyone like a typical teenager. So my parents assumed that my symptoms were just that (I don't blame them at all. I would have done the same thing). But deep down, I knew something was wrong:

❗The sound of eating shouldn't fill me with rage.

❗Silverware on a plate shouldn't make me cry.

❗And every time my teacher smacks their lips as they lecture should not make me want to run far, far away.

As I got older, all my mood swings and volatile temperament passed - but my sensitivities remained. Everything felt excruciatingly loud. I kept my headphones on whenever I could, trying my best to drown out sound. I couldn't eat dinner with my family anymore - I couldn't be near anyone that was eating.

I would be in a relatively quiet classroom, and yet my senses would be overwhelmed.

❗My teacher's lips smacking every time she opens her mouth to speak.

❗Calculator cases scraping against laminated desks.

❗Tired students yawning every other minute - with their mouths wide open, of course.

❗Kids chomping on gum and shaking their legs.

It was a horrible way to live. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I felt isolated, scared, and exhausted.

So I did some research. I typed in my symptoms and spent a whole lot of time trying to figure out what was wrong. At first, I thought I had auditory processing disorder, but my symptoms were too specific.

So I went deeper.

I realized that I had hyperacusis: a disorder in loudness perception.

But that wasn't all. I also had misophonia. The dictionary definition is "a condition in which... common sounds... cause an atypical emotional response (such as disgust, distress, panic, or anger) in the affected person hearing the sound." While this definition is accurate, I feel that there is no way to truly make others understand how difficult and painful this is to live with. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

As I've learned about my condition, I've found ways to cope - from earplugs, headphones, brown noise, and meetings with teachers about accommodations. Even if I have to live with this for the rest of my life, this does not define me. It does not make me any less of a person, and most importantly, it is not my fault.

As I venture on, learning more about myself and my condition along the way, I'll record it on this blog. My hope is that people struggling with this condition (or others) will find comfort in knowing that they are not alone, and can use some of my own coping mechanisms.

-Keep on feeling the love,

🧸𝑀𝒾𝓈𝑜🧸

Hi!

In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned invisible disabilities - ones that aren't visible (like a wheelchair or prosthetic would be) but still impact a person's quality of life and could hinder them in certain situations.

The negative effects of a disability tend to be more pronounced in a learning setting - like school. Thus, most schools are actually required to provide accommodations for disabilities.*

A lot of people tend to think that accomodations are the same for every disability, and thus that they shouldn't bother trying to get them. But this is not the case! Every disability is different, and thus the accommodations will be different as well.

I, for example, am still in school. My disability makes it difficult for me to participate in and focus during group work. And if somebody's eating during class, I won't even be able to function. These factors hinder my learning experience, so my school provides unique accommodations that are specific to my needs.

I can wear headphones, earbuds, or earplugs in class I can leave the classroom if I am experiencing sensory overload I have preferential seating I have extended time on assessments and tests

Never feel like you're being dramatic or making a fuss when asking for accommodations! These are necessary for you to have a good experience, and you are entitled to them.

*accommodations and the formalities/documentation needed to acquire them vary depending on your location and your level of schooling, so make sure to consult a guidance counselor or trusted adult in your school to find out what actions need to be taken.

- keep on feeling the love,

🧸𝑀𝒾𝓈𝑜🧸

I'm not saying you shouldn't do research on your symptoms. You totally should! That's how you figure out that something's wrong, and learn about coping mechanisms that can help until you can treatment.

However, it's important not to operate solely off of a self-diagnosis. It's all too easy to mistake one thing for another, and this can have dire consequences. Oftentimes, two conditions with very similar symptoms will have very different causes (e.g., a psychological vs physical cause) which means that they will have very different treatments.

For example: Misophonia is primarily neurological, dealing with how your brain is wired. But hyperacusis can usually be traced to a certain physical event that caused it, and can even be treated with surgery if therapy doesn't work.

Doctors are much more qualified to figure out what's wrong, taking into account not only the details of symptoms, but how they might manifest in different individuals. They are also more qualified to give you different ✨tips and tricks✨ to cope, and recommend treatments to minimize (or hopefully eliminate) the problem.

You deserve proper care! See a doctor - it can make all the difference.

- keep on feeling the love,

🧸𝑀𝒾𝓈𝑜🧸

( this is out of curiosity and not a means to gatekeep or invalidate what you say; I've only ever encountered people who had a hyperacusis diagnosis dumped on them by a medical professional )

Hi! Thanks for the ask💕