I had no idea what misophonia was until a coworker explained it to me.
I was relaying to him a story about my time in summer camp as a kid and how I would lose my mind at the various noses other campers would make at night while I’d try to fall asleep. Granted, insomnia is enough to give anyone frustration or rage, especially if it’s rampant and the triggers go unchecked… However, my reactions were more than that. My coworker said that people with misophonia have a strong emotional reaction to sounds that they find unpleasant, often being extreme, uncomfortable rage. Knuckle cracking, lip smacking, pen clicking, whistling, and finger drumming are all examples of sounds that used to drive me crazy before I started seeing a therapist over my potential misophonia. She told me that lots of people experience it, especially in response to environmental noises. Recently I had severe symptoms when listening to a noisy air conditioner through the wall my bedroom shared with my garage. The ambient noise from the air conditioner cycling was so loud and annoying to me that I had to find a new air conditioner that made a lot less noise. At the same time I wanted a machine with a better SEER rating as well. Thankfully my HVAC supplier was able to find me a great air conditioner with not only a good SEER rating but also whisper quiet while cycling. It’s a phenomenal machine and I never hear it when it runs, even if my bedroom is dead quiet with no other noises present.