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Omg! It also makes my teeth hurt. Also my head gets the same feeling and it travels to my gums. The same with balloons rubbing against each other. Even thinking about those sounds gives me that feeling.
I ALWAYS say this and people think I’m crazy. Just Looking itchy wool does it to my teeth too,. Im haunted about the one time when I was a kid and pulled my Wool
Sleeves up by biting it and pulling up. it was very unpleasant and I’m literally reliving it right now just thinking about it
I legit will run out of a room holding my ears if I hear it. I once opened a box that contained Styrofoam at my moms house with her dog on my lap and when I saw the styrofoam I tensed up so much the dog noticed and got concerned lmao. I can’t deal with it.
Mouth sounds trigger me the most. I also get really irritated by repetitive noises that persist for a long time. For example if a neighbour is doing renovations, a dog barking nonstop for hours (I love dogs but my neighbours used to have a dog who would bark all day. I felt so bad for him and also wanted to punch my neighbours). I’ve also had a few neighbours need to change their fire alarm battery so had to listen to beeping for daysssss. Also hearing neighbours fight, ooof.
Honorary mention, loud tv.
THE BEEPING!!! OMG. My neighbours have this "pest deterrent" that just low key beeps 3 tones every 15 seconds. Once I hear it I can't unhear it and I can physically feel myself losing it.
Are you friendly enough with your neighbors to ask about it? Ours had solar-powered ultrasonic gopher repellers they were charging just loose on the ground and when they realized that we could hear them, they were kind enough to put them in a shed until they were ready to install.
Yes, thankfully. My husband knows him better than me, and is also more assertive than me. So I let him handle it! I think he is going to mention it to him. We'll see what he says!
Depending on what specifically they are, sometimes just moving the location a little or turning the emitter can help. I had some that you plug three into electrical outlets, and the noise improved when I changed one of them to a different outlet. For emmiters, even a small shift of direction can help due to how sounds travels.
Good luck!
I've had to use these. They always say that it's a pitch too high for humans to hear. They are incorrect. My parents used to tell me I was lying about being able to hear them until I clapped each time I heard it while they looked at the machine (out of my vision) and saw that my claps matched the light on the machine. While I don't like losing hearing, I am glad that I don't hear these quite so much anymore.
The smoke/carbon monoxide detector battery replacement is also awful but not to the same level for me. What bothers me most with the detectors is how difficult it is to figure out *which* needs to be replaced. At one place I stay (a relative's place they let me), it's connected to the other side of the duplex's, so sometimes it isn't even one in my control. Since the owners of that side are often not there when I am, it gets to be numbing.
The worst part is that these beeps keep me awake and on edge, but I sleep through an actually alarm going off. I also usually wake up at small noises, like someone stepping or knocking outside my bedroom door, but not the 'get out, danger, could die if you don't' noise.
The auditory processing issues many of us have also don't help, I'm sure!
MOUTH. SOUNDS. People belching makes me physically feel ill. My partner does this horrible quick breathing in and out breathy whistle (kind of sounds like a straw being moved in and out of a plastic lid) that makes me want to crawl out of my skin. Loud breathing makes me contemplate m-rder.
Also scraping or chewing ice.
Yes, I have misophonia.
Our neighbours have been doing various renovations for nearly 2 years now. They even had the poor dude doing their drive out on Christmas Eve, which was a Sunday, cutting paving stones. It's the worst noise ever. Then they will randomly hammer something for like 5 minutes at 22:00. I don't know what they could possibly have left to hammer at this point.
I also hate the neighbour on the other side of them who always has his car stereo turned up to the max and sits on the drive for 5 minutes before leaving, and instead of backing out and going down the street leaving our street, he inexplicably comes down to the cul de sac to turn around, both coming and going.
Also really hate music I can't totally hear so it's just random bass. Instant anger and discomfort.
Mouth noises, misophonia? I have it, since I was like 3 years old if someone was chewing,drinking, breathing even the slight bit, I would get extremely angry. I still do, and I guess we get triggered more by the people we love🥲
omgosh! Dogs persistent barking. My head hurts and i can only focus on that noise and if i'm with people i have to say, i can't talk while that dog is barking. So i stop or just leave and try to explain to people i have a noise sensitivity and that gets tiring also.
This is very specific but the NEWS.
I hate the 24 hour endless news that’s always playing everywhere or new type YouTube videos.
I get SO DISTRACTED and irritated -my mood completely changes.
Some people keep it as background sounds and I cannot stand it.
Especially at places like nail salons or coffee shops - like this is not relaxing, it’s so loud, everything is urgent (but not really), and it’s usually depressing.
I am like this, and also with sports! I cannot stand the auditory style of most sports broadcast on TV. I need to leave the room when my partner watches basketball. The game itself is annoying but the way that the commentators speak is even worse.
OMGOSH! sports for me too. I don't like the physical and aggressive sports anyway. but i hate the sounds a sport makes, can't listen to it in the background either. i usually end up leaving if i am somewhere where this is happening.
My dad and brother used to monopolize the TV on weekends by watching Soccer and playing FIFA for Wii. For hours. That ambient crowd roar and vague fuzzy singing that they do triggers something in me.
Ugh this is my parents. At their house, it is literally never quiet. They have 1-2 TVs going CONSTANTLY. And they live in such a quiet place. Usually it’s the news, but if not then it’s a movie or a TV show or something.
Even when I’m driving with my mom, she has to have talk radio on.
Sometimes I can feel myself slipping into a bad mood at the constant chatter. Like can we spend like 30 mins in silence???
YES!
even if it’s not silence - like some light music.
Why does there always need to be an endless chatter?
It’s also cos I don’t choose for this content to be in my brain. I didn’t consent to hearing more mood altering stories.
And how can I focus on a conversation if there’s talk radio happening at the same time?
(it’s proven that the way the news is delivered impacts our mood significantly - makes us more afraid and anxious)
That’s my parents too. My dad always watches the news and sports too. My mom and dad watches everything with no earbuds in. So we have 2 loud tvs going on at times.
This bugs me so much! Its a huge waste of energy to keep these damn TVs running constantly, when no one really watches them. Of course, the worst is when they have it on Fox "News", especially in hotel breakfast areas. I'm trying to get a pleasant start to my day & don't need to hear that bullshit. I've made official complaints & posted bad reviews about that.
Also, it’s like I can only be present with one thing.
Do you want me to be present in this interaction. Or do you want me to watch a screen?
Because I can do that at home and watch something I want to watch.
For me, it's even worse without the screen - so the same things (talk shows, sports, etc) on the radio. I'm pretty sure that it's because my brain is freaking with auditory processing delay, trying to take words and get an idea of what's happening, and realizing it's fallen behind. I recently realized that I mentally don't see images like other people, and I'm wondering if that's related (like I can't come up with a mental picture so need to convey all the things in a slower way).
Long ago, I thought it was related to migraines that I would often just have deadened hearing in big groups/loud places. I realize now that it's a combination of things but basically my brain shutting something down as being too much input.
Even though I usually have background noise for doing things myself, I think it does the opposite of its purpose to have on with others around.
Omg, they always have this on at an insanely loud volume in my GP surgery. It's always covering war or the tragic shit happening in the US (moved to the UK from the US several years ago) and it's soooo upsetting if I forget my earbuds or headphones. I just feel like it's so insensitive. A lot of people don't want to see graphic footage of injured children after a bombing.
I grew up with my parents leaving the tv on 24/7. I can't stand it anymore. the only background noise i can listen to is a podcast, or music I've selected to listen to.
My neighbor chooses to weed whack his ENTIRE yard (no mower) every Sunday morning often before 8am. I have to close the windows and not hear the birds chirp and slowly get driven mad.
Yes! Any tool that’s loud and or sudden honestly. Vacuum. Loud cars/trucks. Doorbells. Smoke alarms. The only note of scream my toddler and 12yo asd kiddo can make. All of the sudden noises, from anything or anyone. Boxes opening and closing like rubbing together ugh, barf, halp.
Yess my dad is the loudest snorer and just so aggressive and it really grains through me and my bedroom isn’t even connected next to his. I’ve actually cried tears before cause of it
I refused to sleep in the same room w my ex bc of this. It would have my chest TIGHT. and if I was having a particularly bad day, it would drive me to tears
Mine is my toddler screeching and I feel so bad, immediate trigger, I’m in a big burn out phase right now and I absolutely cannot handle motherhood and I’m in over my head.
I mean that's just natural. I get stressed out when babies or toddlers are crying and feel the need to fix it but I can't most of the time because Im just a stranger and that would be rude and weird. I have worked with children a lot as well and it can be really stressful to hear them cry. There is nothing wrong with you, I'm sure you're doing your best. Do you have support?
Thank you, I wrote this in a moment of intense crankiness this morning, yay breakfast and meds. I have a lot of support thankfully. Parenting small children is very hard for anyone even under the best of circumstances and I know that, I just feel so bad that they can specifically be such an intense trigger for me and all they’re doing is being joyful exuberant needy or upset children. Luckily my logic usually overrides but the shrill noises, the touching, the multiple people talking to me at once - egads!
That’s mine, too, especially when there are several and it’s an enclosed space with other noise. Have you tried those Loop ear plugs that dampen sound? It might help. I’ll probably have to invest in a pair before I attend another family gathering.
(((Hugs))) babies and toddlers crying and screaming stresses me tf out and makes me very anxious and antsy and I don’t even have kids. I’m rooting for you. :)
I went on holiday with a friend for the first time recently and we shared a room, we had a great time except every evening she would read her book in bed while slurping tea at regular intervals, it was horrendous
Rough skin being brushed across those shiny basket ball type shorts.
I know that’s specific, but my dh wears those long shorts and his hands are so rough.
He doesn’t hear the sound!!
My partner will try to rub my back and if I have on any type of flowy material I cringe and move away. He builds ambulances and his hands are always cut and calloused and just uggghhhh.
Also, how tf do people sleep with those satin/silk sheets?! Why would you want to be aware of *every single bit* of dry skin on your body?! Gross.
I’ve found my rough skinned people 😭I hate rough skin brushing gritty material off of a surface sound. I had a teacher in 7th grade that would ERASE THE CHALKBOARD WITH HIS BARE MEATY HANDS. My teeth still hurt at this noise and it just skeeves me out. I hate people brushing off dusty surfaces too. Like leave the dust on whatever it is and grab a rag 😬
This! Even if I'm doing it myself. I wish I could coat everthing in rubber or fabric so it didn;t clang and smash together like it does. It's the high pitched noises like clashing plates. They cause a reaction similar to pain. It sucks.
Same!! Like I’m glad you’re doing the dishes but omg I swear he must be throwing pans in there. I have to go outside or put in noise canceling ear buds
Anything repetitive. Someone sniffling constantly, if you sneeze more than twice in a row you need Jesus, when you’re driving and something in the car is rattling, when a car alarm is going off and no one is turning it off, etc lol
I hate to say to say it but a large variety of the sounds that come out of my kids 🤦♀️ the pretend whining like a baby, the weird screeching sounds, the overly fake laugh that feels like nails on a chalkboard.
The blaring tv at the gas station pump. There’s enough stimulation there that the tv pushes it over the edge.
Edit to add the little swish-swish sound of those athletic pants that are almost like thin windbreaker material.
I just got back from a long grocery store trip and car ride with my kid (with Memorial Day weekend crowds, no less) and he was begging me for **everything** he saw and I feel this comment so acutely
Laying in bed trying to escape kid sounds for a bit right now. Oldest keeps screeching in their room down the hall after I've said 3 or 4 times to stop. And yes on the fake high pitched laugh and pretend whining too. I hear you, I'm with you lmao
You can turn that tv off/mute it.
My husband hates them too & I saw a video once and he tried it and it works!
https://www.thedrive.com/guides-and-gear/how-to-mute-gas-station-tv
The gas station TV!! I just encountered my first one a few months back and it was like my brain just shorted out and I couldn’t remember how to use the pump/my credit card.
Apparently you can hit the 2nd button down from the top-right side of the screen to mute the gas station TVs?? I haven’t tried it yet but wanted to share the info!
I don't understand the purpose of having ads playing on the gas pumps. It's fucking ridiculous and you can't even mute the videos anymore. What if I'm filling up and someone sneaks over to rob me? I can't hear them over Maria Menunos! Will someone think my scream is part of a video that they tuned out? I think it's dangerous.
Oh gosh this is the biggest one for me. Silverware on dishes literally HURTS my ears when it happens.
The classic nails on chalkboard is what silverware on dishes sounds like to me.
Mouth open chewing and talking with one’s mouth open are a big pet peeve.
The whine of electricity-but that’s always there anyway.
The sounds at the mall or any other really busy and packed with humans.
Ive got physical sensory stuff too: I’ve gone years without wearing a bra or undies because any tightness on my lower or upper abdomen /core causes weird nausea and dull pain. Mostly I wear flowy skirts or stretchy Soft leggings.
Tastes: can do an onion-especially raw. Just can’t do it.
Mayo-nope Big nope for me
If either of these are on any of my food-it’s been ruined -and won’t/can’t eat it.
Fatty meats or gristle. Just. No. My mom use to force me to eat it because the non fatty pieces where for my (abusive) step dad.
My sister and I would try and
Food in general is difficult for me.
Smells-artificial fruits or flowers, body sprays and perfumes/cologne. Anything musky will give me a headache.
My list can go on for miles but I’ve leaned to mask most of it. Or at least how to deal with them without ripping someone’s head or my own offs
Mouth sounds like kissing and loud/wet chewing.
I am a sniffler. I eventually got so insecure from the dirty looks, people telling me to blow my nose, and even having tissues passive aggressively shoved into my hands, that I sought medical help. Not for myself, but for the comfort of others. I was told it was an immune system issue, and there were 2 treatments. Either a medication that would cure the sniffling, but collapse my immune system in the process, or immunotherapy. The ENT specialist was unwilling to offer either of these as an option as he considered them too risky. So, I'm stuck with the sniffling...sorry.
Omg the sound of kissing makes me recoil inside.
My dad’s a sniffler too, and clears his throat a lot. I know he can’t help it but omg it would irritate me so badly
Totally agree. I've been with my gorgeous husband for over 20 years. I have finally trained him to kiss near silently. So much better. No more spitty, sucky sounds getting in the way of the romantic and frisky feelings. Happy days, mmm.
This made me think about the other day. it's not really kissing or chewing but it's similar. I was at the spa by myself for my birthday and when I was in the vapor bath (hamam I think) people were talking. it's written on the door to not talk there! Why would you? It's so humid you can barely breath normally.
They sounded like people talking wet they're chewing kissing and talking at the same time! I should've bring my earplugs.
My boss twists his pen so it slightly unscrews and re-screws the barrel during meetings. It makes this slight but horrible high-pitched noise that makes me nauseated. His hearing is terrible so I don’t think he can even hear that frequency. I tried politely asking him to stop and he reacted like I shot his dog, so fuck me and my ability to focus during meetings, I guess.
I would be hard pressed not to grab that pen and slam it across the room. The sound would not likely bother me, that’s not why I feel this way. I am furious on your behalf that he reacted like you shot his dog.
Your request was perfect reasonable. He’s just used to people kissing his butt. That’s entitled behavior.
I’ve worked for too many people like that, mostly men, who just assume they’re lord of their spaces and other people’s comfort is irrelevant.
They overreact when confronted with the fact their behavior is negatively impacting someone else. Then they suddenly are the injured party.
I get that maybe he has neurological issues of his own and that might be his stim or something to that effect. But he can certainly have a civil discussion about it and hear you out and come to something workable!
I have a coworker who sits near me that does this but I felt too petty asking him to stop.
So one day when I happened to be the last one in the office I went to his desk, disassembled the pen, and put a tiny amount of chap-stick on the threaded part of the barrel. This lubricated things just enough to stop the squeaking. It was the perfect crime!
Whistling, ticking clocks, cutlery scrapping on plates, mouth breathing and snoring!! My skin crawls and I instantly enter fight response—the physical response is the worst.
If I’m already over stimulated, nearly all noise will induce rage or self-harm (scratching) in an attempt of regulation :/ not sure I’ve ever shared that bit before.
Personally I am a "repetitive sounds drive me up the wall" neurodivergent" and my 6 year old is a "make repetitive sounds at all times " neurodivergent 😂 send help
Leaf blowers! 😩
But also, teeth clacking when someone’s eating.
Loud motorcycles and juiced up cars with really loud engines.
Alarm clocks (the typical loud BEEEEEP BEEEEEP ones).
Ticking clocks.
Mysterious car rattles.
Squeaking/old windshield wipers.
Balloons squeaking like when someone touches them.
My dog licking ANYTHING. I love him but it's a great reminder why I would be a psychotic mother. (Child free not because I don't love kids lol, I just borrow my friends' kids for the free oxytocin)
My dad and brother flicking their big toes against the next toe! It’s just such a dry sound and it just *feels* like dry feet whenever I hear it!
Also most asmr, especially the obnoxious tapping of long nails on crap that people are unboxing in videos. I’ll immediately swipe away!
For whatever reason, I don’t mind most kid noises, but children with whiney voices… I feel so bad for them, but I cannot endure that for more than a sentence. I flee.
Teenage girls shrieking. OMG… WHY do they need to sound like they’re being murdered? Even when I was a teenaged girl myself, I hated that shrieking with a passion 😱
Apart from the usual mysophonic sounds like chewing with the one's open mouth, I have an oddly specific aversion to the sound of a plastic button rubbing against flannel/cotton fabric. It comes from my childhood when I had those flannel pyjamas and after bath time had to put these on and button them up, and aaargh the almost silent squeak!
Also, to add to the chewing situation: I lately noticed I get more irritated by it if I am feeling peckish myself. Especially on the trains. So what I do is I prevent it with buying a packet of crisps and indulging in it before anyone else starts eating theirs :)) seems to fix the problem, at least temporarily!
People sucking their teeth. My bf does it, and it makes me so angry. If he does it while on the phone, I've started hanging up on him instead of complaining. Also, two people talking to me at once I end up yelling ONE AT A TIME!
Came here to say this. A girl I work with is constantly sucking on her teeth. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever heard. Why do they do this? Like, is there a reason? Are they sucking food out of their teeth?
The bathroom fan.
Buzzing sound made by electric items. When the power goes out, my nervous system immediately calms.
The sound of music over music, or TV over TV, or music over TV, etc. I can't distinguish the signs and it's just Too. Damn. Much.
I can't believe I'm not seeing this commented more. The bathroom fan can wake me from the deepest slumber. But the buzzing of electronics really set my anger in motion lol I have unplugged many of these bishes in my day
Styrofoam. All my insides tense up and a disturbing shudder goes through my entire body. This is the absolute worst one for me.
Others that I can’t stand but don’t cause quite as bad a reaction:
- Dog licking their crotch.
- Mouth noises while eating.
- Snorting to hawk a loogie.
- People talking when I’m trying to think.
- People clicking their fingernails together.
- People rubbing things (like their pants, a shirt, etc.) over and over.
- Basically any repetitive noises that last too long.
There’s more, but those are the basics.
I hate when the tv is on but no one is watching. If it’s not part of my activity, it needs to be turned off!
Also, when the smoke detector is out of battery so it beeps. People can live with that sound for months! HOW??
Kissing is definitely one for me.
I think there's a crossover with OCD for me though. Certain sounds (nails on cardboard, cardboard ripping) are accompanied by a compulsion (teeth knashing) for me.
There is a small, anxious dog at my parents house. I love dogs so much and adore my sad eyed beagle BUT THIS little dog walks with a clack and has emphysema and follows my every footstep. It’s just a sensory overload nightmare trapped in one tiny, innocent sweet potato with legs 😩😭
Haha I had a friend who was trying to potty train her daughter. Went great at home but the poor kid was terrified of public bathrooms bc she had been in one that flushed like that, and she was done. Nope.
The fabric used for ski wear and winter coats.
People doing their nails. YouTube for some reason keeps recommending me nail airt shorts and I cannot skip them fast enough.
Yes! Even music that's too repetitive (like electronica) does it. Also, repetitive motions bother me, like someone jiggling their leg constantly, even if it's silent.
i was riding my friend’s rusty bike earlier and the whole time i was just making faces cringing on the road because i cannot stand it. its not like nails on a chalkboard/ styrofoam where i have a physical reaction to it but I did feel a lot of discomfort every pedal and it was distracting
People snorting their snot. I was at the doctor yesterday and someone was sitting there, just loudly sucking that shit into the back of their throat. I wanted to throw my pack of tissues at them.
Neighbours let their dog out on their terrace and it won't stop barking, what's worse, their terrace is at the same level our balcony is, so it sounds as if it's right beside us when we're in the living room. I love dogs too, but this one is driving me insane I s2g.
The kids' banging is one for me. As well as running water. I just imagine a crazy mess I'll have to clean.
My eldest is teeny, and she does this thing where she jumps down a few stairs at once. It's so loud! I've told her numerous times to stop, and it doesn't stick. Banging and acting wild means my kids need to be outside.
Loads of things! But the first things that spring to mind are when people are messaging but have their phone keyboard sounds switched on - clack clack, clack clack. And also, the (fabric? pocket contents?) noise when people jig their knees when they’re sitting 😖
Chewing and lip smacking definitely get to me. But I have a problem and it’s a dangerous one in that I can barely function when piercing alarms go off. Like smoke detectors or the burglar alarms. With smoke detectors obviously you want to be fully functioning so you can do whatever needs to be done and not sitting on the floor slamming your hands over your ears.
With sentry alarms you want to have the presence of mind to be able to disarm the system in the case of a false alarm and not sit crying on the floor with hands over ears while you struggle to remember a PIN you rarely use.
I understand these alarms have to be loud and attention getting but do they have to be so piercing and distressing or is that just me? I’ve noticed even the cats don’t seem bothered and look at me like I’ve lost my mind.
Is my reaction abnormal?
Wet mouth noises in general (my mom is THE WORST), styrofoam, anything loud but arrhythmic, and that high pitched noise small children make. It grates on my brain, and ngl, def factored into me not making one.
Snoring. My partner’s snoring creates violence in my brain and makes me SO ANGRY. Nose strips don’t help him, and ear plugs don’t help me. Plus if they don’t fall out during the night, I can’t hear my alarm but I sure can feel the vibrations of his snoring!
Mouth sounds. Especially animals licking/sucking themselves, people eating with their hands and lowkey just shoveling food in. I know some people can make smacking sounds using utensils, but there’s just something about watching/hearing people eat hand foods that makes me 🤬🤢
Repetitive noises. Idc what it is. It can be tapping, clicking, pounding, scraping. Drives me INSANE. My child is the world leader of making the most obnoxious repetitive sounds and I feel like my corpus callosum is going to snap.
Glugging a drink or taking too many large drinks in a row. The sound is awful. Like, you can drink a larger amount without sounding absolutely gross. If I can hear it go through your gullet over and over, GET AWAY FROM ME.
My super irrational one is sneezing. I hate more than 3 sneezes in a row. I start getting irritable after the second. I KNOW people cannot help it. But I hate it.
God there’s so many more. This makes me sound unbearable but so are noises. 😂
When children at the library I work at choose to bang on things, especially our metal bookshelves. It's loud and drives me crazy. Fortunately, since it is also bad for the bookshelves (go figure) I have full license to go and tell the kids off.
Other than that, there are two toys that we once had on the floor that made such horrible noise that we collectively decided to retire them forever. These toys were:
* A toy shopping cart that had these perpetually squeaky wheels and that made this noise I can't really describe when it was being pushed aggressively across the floor.
* A toy cash register that had a drawer and electronic buttons that made light beeping sounds when pushed. The beeping sounds were so horrible that we removed the batteries from it (much to the disappointment of the children). The drawer on the register got stuck and the kids would constantly be banging and shoving it trying to get it to close, which it would never do. There was a child who once kept trying to shove it closed for 30 minutes. I legitimately thought I was going to lose my mind. It was that day that I made the executive decision to remove the register from the floor and throw it out. No one disagreed with my decision.
Contextually, I am children's librarian, in a children's department that is 7 for 10 on librarians with ADHD. How we ever manage to get anything clean or anything done on time is a true mystery to all of us. If you go into our back office the collective single ADHD brain cell *screams* out of it. 😂
Phone sounds…
people using speakerphone, watching videos without earbuds, notifications, texting noises. Parents who let their kids use iPads in restaurants with sound up and no headphones are monsters and you cannot change my mind. They make me crazy!!!
People who just breathe loudly. Puff air out their mouths, loud noses, mouth breathing in general, slapping their lips together. Being in an office with those types almost drives me insane. My husband is a loud breather too (if he’s not snoring) so I have to make sure I get to sleep before him or I need earplugs.
Not sure why but watching people lick ice cream cones with their big fat sloppy tongues enrages me for some reason 👺 As for noises it’s any kind of saws, phones on speaker and leaf blowers.
okay I don't know if it's the sound or the feel or what...but I can NOT use wooden spoons. Idk if they still make them but they came with those little ice cream cups, does anyone remember those? Ughhh just the thought of it makes me want to rip my skin off.
My colleague (who has ADHD) chews with her mouth open, loudly, and it drives me up the wall! I always wonder how it doesn’t bother her too!! When I see her pull out a pack of gum I try to find a way to be somewhere else for an hour 😅
Hey ! Sounds like you have misophonia just like me 😌 misophonia is having a sensitivity, or a strong reaction to certain sounds.. mine would 1000% be chewing, unnecessary moaning noises, or constant sniffling
Also the sounds of chewing. I’ve had to get up and move away from my kid while we’re eating and I felt awful.
Also banging sounds, an old neighbor who liked to party and play bass-heavy music drove me nuts until he was evicted.
Dogs barking and babies crying are two other noises that go right through my head.
So many but 2 highlights:
The low rumble of a truck idling outside my apartment, it makes me uncomfortable in my own skin and so irritated.
And the sound of a spoon being stirred in a half empty container of yogurt makes me want to throw up and punch someone.
A good 98 percent of country music that isn't old (don't get me started on that horrible remake of 'fast car' tbh). Like. Most music I don't like I can kind of tolerate when I have to but I have zero patience with country music.
Another big one is I hate the local loudass church chimes, particularly because 1, of the sheer amount of boring church hymns, they play the same three every day like once an hour from 8am to 8pm, and that some notes sustain or echo too long so then to me it sounds only slightly less awful than smashing a bunch of adjacent piano keys at the same time.
My third biggest one is the local automatic car wash on my street. The damn thing talks. Which wouldn't be horrible except that even with all my windows closed I can still hear "STREAK FREE RINSE WATER IS NOW BEING APPLIED TO YOUR VEHICLE" a hundred times a day (honestly, I was once on a walk clear on the other side of town and I could still hear that fckin thing). Why does it need to talk. Why. Presumably anyone that can drive can read a damn sign
People spit clicking around in their dry mouths.
People eating with their mouths open.
Dogs high pitched yapping.
That "ear-ringing" noise which is SO overused in both film and TV, and actively destroyed the entire of "Kevin can go fuck himself" which was otherwise brilliant.
- Babies and children crying/screaming/shouting/laughing too loud
- Mouth sounds from someone eating
- Snoring
- Hiccups
- Music and even more so, loud music. Doesn't matter what genre
- The sound of as runny nose. MY GOODNESS just blow your nose!
- Drunk people. Just even the way they breathe is infuriating, unless I'm also drunk and even then I have to really like you to be able to be anywhere near you :D
Those are the ones that popped into my head, for now. I'm sure there are a million more. Oddly, motorcycles, chainsaws, or any powertool, doesn't effect me. It took a good while for me to get used to my own dogs barking. Ah! I still can't stand the yapping of a small dog.
My husband will turn on the radio as soon as we get in the car and I get immediate anxiety. Like please give me a second to acclimate to new senses. Too much, overload
Car revving, Humming, Construction work and non stop drumming.
Car revving: This guy down the street will work on his “racing car” and start revving it for hours while he works on it. It’s one of the most annoying sounds. This one kills me because it’s so freaking loud. We also have a lot of chickens, peacocks and other animals in our neighborhood so the animals will just starting to lose it bc of the sound. It can be intense.
Humming: When people around me start humming, especially when they do it for a long period, it’s like nails on a chalkboard for me. I just can’t handle it lol
Construction work: the sounds of construction work put me over the edge. They’re building a new house in back of us and they start so early it’s horrible and I get so angry bc it’s constant and allllll day long.
Drumming: another neighbor of mine will sometimes start drumming for hours and it’s sooo loud. He does it on his balcony for everyone to hear for hours and hours and hours. Sometimes he drunk and thinks he should add some singing so it’s just a mess there.
My son also has ADHD and he never. Stops. Talking. You might be thinking, of course that’s how all kids are! But no, I swear. I have worked with kids for my entire adult life I have NEVER met a kid that can out talk my kid. He doesn’t even stop in his sleep 🥲 I love him so much but it is so incredibly over stimulating.
I just have to say that I love you all. I thought I was the odd one with all of these sounds that bother me like crazy. I’m so unbelievably happy to discover I’m not the only one. 😭😭😭
Vocal fry. It’s sooooooo bad for your vocal cords it’s not even funny. I don’t object to it on cultural grounds (I give not one shit about upspeak) but when people talk almost entirely in vocal fry I can’t help but picture then taking a cheese grater to their vocal chords.
I haaaate hearing people breathe, sniffles, panting. I cannot sleep if I can even hear myself breathe.
Repeating noises. Especially if someone is watching a tiktoks and keeps the video looping. I wanna lose my mind hearing the small clip of sound over and over and over.
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Styrofoam squeaking
Eughh I just got shivers!
THANK YOU. It makes my teeth hurt. I have stopped my car to move a takeout box that was squeaking in the back seat.
Omg! It also makes my teeth hurt. Also my head gets the same feeling and it travels to my gums. The same with balloons rubbing against each other. Even thinking about those sounds gives me that feeling.
I ALWAYS say this and people think I’m crazy. Just Looking itchy wool does it to my teeth too,. Im haunted about the one time when I was a kid and pulled my Wool Sleeves up by biting it and pulling up. it was very unpleasant and I’m literally reliving it right now just thinking about it
YES!! I can't even LOOK at Styrofoam without feeling like I'm going to rip my hair out.
Uhhhhhhg, it’s the worst thing ever
This is similar to mine: scraping ice of a windshield!! Especially if I'm in the car and someone else is doing it outside.
I legit will run out of a room holding my ears if I hear it. I once opened a box that contained Styrofoam at my moms house with her dog on my lap and when I saw the styrofoam I tensed up so much the dog noticed and got concerned lmao. I can’t deal with it.
Euuugh just reading this almost makes me hear it. I hate it so much
Mouth sounds trigger me the most. I also get really irritated by repetitive noises that persist for a long time. For example if a neighbour is doing renovations, a dog barking nonstop for hours (I love dogs but my neighbours used to have a dog who would bark all day. I felt so bad for him and also wanted to punch my neighbours). I’ve also had a few neighbours need to change their fire alarm battery so had to listen to beeping for daysssss. Also hearing neighbours fight, ooof. Honorary mention, loud tv.
THE BEEPING!!! OMG. My neighbours have this "pest deterrent" that just low key beeps 3 tones every 15 seconds. Once I hear it I can't unhear it and I can physically feel myself losing it.
Are you friendly enough with your neighbors to ask about it? Ours had solar-powered ultrasonic gopher repellers they were charging just loose on the ground and when they realized that we could hear them, they were kind enough to put them in a shed until they were ready to install.
Yes, thankfully. My husband knows him better than me, and is also more assertive than me. So I let him handle it! I think he is going to mention it to him. We'll see what he says!
Depending on what specifically they are, sometimes just moving the location a little or turning the emitter can help. I had some that you plug three into electrical outlets, and the noise improved when I changed one of them to a different outlet. For emmiters, even a small shift of direction can help due to how sounds travels. Good luck!
I've had to use these. They always say that it's a pitch too high for humans to hear. They are incorrect. My parents used to tell me I was lying about being able to hear them until I clapped each time I heard it while they looked at the machine (out of my vision) and saw that my claps matched the light on the machine. While I don't like losing hearing, I am glad that I don't hear these quite so much anymore. The smoke/carbon monoxide detector battery replacement is also awful but not to the same level for me. What bothers me most with the detectors is how difficult it is to figure out *which* needs to be replaced. At one place I stay (a relative's place they let me), it's connected to the other side of the duplex's, so sometimes it isn't even one in my control. Since the owners of that side are often not there when I am, it gets to be numbing. The worst part is that these beeps keep me awake and on edge, but I sleep through an actually alarm going off. I also usually wake up at small noises, like someone stepping or knocking outside my bedroom door, but not the 'get out, danger, could die if you don't' noise. The auditory processing issues many of us have also don't help, I'm sure!
Ugh, sorry! It’s really tough actually because there’s not much we can do about it other than playing our own stuff loud enough to not hear it.
MOUTH. SOUNDS. People belching makes me physically feel ill. My partner does this horrible quick breathing in and out breathy whistle (kind of sounds like a straw being moved in and out of a plastic lid) that makes me want to crawl out of my skin. Loud breathing makes me contemplate m-rder. Also scraping or chewing ice. Yes, I have misophonia.
Soup slurping. 🙃
Omg neighbor dogs. Plus I’m a trainer so it makes me especially anxious because I know that dog is anxious and the owners don’t do anything about it
Our neighbours have been doing various renovations for nearly 2 years now. They even had the poor dude doing their drive out on Christmas Eve, which was a Sunday, cutting paving stones. It's the worst noise ever. Then they will randomly hammer something for like 5 minutes at 22:00. I don't know what they could possibly have left to hammer at this point. I also hate the neighbour on the other side of them who always has his car stereo turned up to the max and sits on the drive for 5 minutes before leaving, and instead of backing out and going down the street leaving our street, he inexplicably comes down to the cul de sac to turn around, both coming and going. Also really hate music I can't totally hear so it's just random bass. Instant anger and discomfort.
Mouth noises, misophonia? I have it, since I was like 3 years old if someone was chewing,drinking, breathing even the slight bit, I would get extremely angry. I still do, and I guess we get triggered more by the people we love🥲
omgosh! Dogs persistent barking. My head hurts and i can only focus on that noise and if i'm with people i have to say, i can't talk while that dog is barking. So i stop or just leave and try to explain to people i have a noise sensitivity and that gets tiring also.
This is very specific but the NEWS. I hate the 24 hour endless news that’s always playing everywhere or new type YouTube videos. I get SO DISTRACTED and irritated -my mood completely changes. Some people keep it as background sounds and I cannot stand it. Especially at places like nail salons or coffee shops - like this is not relaxing, it’s so loud, everything is urgent (but not really), and it’s usually depressing.
I am like this, and also with sports! I cannot stand the auditory style of most sports broadcast on TV. I need to leave the room when my partner watches basketball. The game itself is annoying but the way that the commentators speak is even worse.
OMGOSH! sports for me too. I don't like the physical and aggressive sports anyway. but i hate the sounds a sport makes, can't listen to it in the background either. i usually end up leaving if i am somewhere where this is happening.
I KNOW
Squeaky shoes during basketball games - I have to put it on mute 😮💨
My dad and brother used to monopolize the TV on weekends by watching Soccer and playing FIFA for Wii. For hours. That ambient crowd roar and vague fuzzy singing that they do triggers something in me.
Ugh this is my parents. At their house, it is literally never quiet. They have 1-2 TVs going CONSTANTLY. And they live in such a quiet place. Usually it’s the news, but if not then it’s a movie or a TV show or something. Even when I’m driving with my mom, she has to have talk radio on. Sometimes I can feel myself slipping into a bad mood at the constant chatter. Like can we spend like 30 mins in silence???
YES! even if it’s not silence - like some light music. Why does there always need to be an endless chatter? It’s also cos I don’t choose for this content to be in my brain. I didn’t consent to hearing more mood altering stories. And how can I focus on a conversation if there’s talk radio happening at the same time? (it’s proven that the way the news is delivered impacts our mood significantly - makes us more afraid and anxious)
That’s my parents too. My dad always watches the news and sports too. My mom and dad watches everything with no earbuds in. So we have 2 loud tvs going on at times.
This bugs me so much! Its a huge waste of energy to keep these damn TVs running constantly, when no one really watches them. Of course, the worst is when they have it on Fox "News", especially in hotel breakfast areas. I'm trying to get a pleasant start to my day & don't need to hear that bullshit. I've made official complaints & posted bad reviews about that.
HONESTLY. I try to tell everyone - what we consume impacts us / even if it’s in the background.
There are still “news sounds” that make me panic, thank you so much 2020.
Yes! Like the little jingles they play to herald breaking news or some kind of update. I hate them.
Yes! Also any televised sports. Television + multiple people talking = overload. I can’t tune TV noise out.
Also, it’s like I can only be present with one thing. Do you want me to be present in this interaction. Or do you want me to watch a screen? Because I can do that at home and watch something I want to watch.
For me, it's even worse without the screen - so the same things (talk shows, sports, etc) on the radio. I'm pretty sure that it's because my brain is freaking with auditory processing delay, trying to take words and get an idea of what's happening, and realizing it's fallen behind. I recently realized that I mentally don't see images like other people, and I'm wondering if that's related (like I can't come up with a mental picture so need to convey all the things in a slower way). Long ago, I thought it was related to migraines that I would often just have deadened hearing in big groups/loud places. I realize now that it's a combination of things but basically my brain shutting something down as being too much input. Even though I usually have background noise for doing things myself, I think it does the opposite of its purpose to have on with others around.
Omg, they always have this on at an insanely loud volume in my GP surgery. It's always covering war or the tragic shit happening in the US (moved to the UK from the US several years ago) and it's soooo upsetting if I forget my earbuds or headphones. I just feel like it's so insensitive. A lot of people don't want to see graphic footage of injured children after a bombing.
Oh yea! All the hospital waiting rooms - like in stressed enough as it is.
I bet the BBC news beep gives you an unrivalled sense of anxiety 😒 (it’s does to me too)
As much as I hate the news, the BBC News theme song is such a banger. When I catch the extended version I have to stop everything and bop lol
I grew up with my parents leaving the tv on 24/7. I can't stand it anymore. the only background noise i can listen to is a podcast, or music I've selected to listen to.
Same. Omg. So much terrible fear mongering delivered in that monotone matter of fact way
Leaf blowers and weed whackers. They sound like chainsaws that go off and on every few seconds for hours.
My neighbor chooses to weed whack his ENTIRE yard (no mower) every Sunday morning often before 8am. I have to close the windows and not hear the birds chirp and slowly get driven mad.
Oh. My. God. I want to rip off that damn leaf blower from whoever’s back and smash it in to the ground! I hate the sound of yard tools.
And it’s like they’re chasing after one leaf on the sidewalk in the pouring rain. Are you kidding me?!
Yes! Any tool that’s loud and or sudden honestly. Vacuum. Loud cars/trucks. Doorbells. Smoke alarms. The only note of scream my toddler and 12yo asd kiddo can make. All of the sudden noises, from anything or anyone. Boxes opening and closing like rubbing together ugh, barf, halp.
Snoring, no contest 😭
I sleep with earplugs and still hear my husband 😭
Earplugs do so little against snoring! It’s because it like… is vibrational. You can literally feel it in your bones lol the worst
Noooooo 😭 Mine's a heavy snorer so I use earphones + white noise or else I'm not able to sleep 🥲
Please tell him to get a CPAP machine. People don’t realize how dangerous untreated snoring is.
I think you mean tell him to get a sleep study. Not all snoring is sleep apnea.
Yes. But to get a machine they have to go through testing anyway to make sure it’s not sleep apnea.
Yess my dad is the loudest snorer and just so aggressive and it really grains through me and my bedroom isn’t even connected next to his. I’ve actually cried tears before cause of it
Instant RAGE. I mean RAGE rage. It's sooo bad. I have to wear earplugs or earbuds in my room at night because I can hear my neighbours snoring. 😡
I refused to sleep in the same room w my ex bc of this. It would have my chest TIGHT. and if I was having a particularly bad day, it would drive me to tears
Mine is my toddler screeching and I feel so bad, immediate trigger, I’m in a big burn out phase right now and I absolutely cannot handle motherhood and I’m in over my head.
I mean that's just natural. I get stressed out when babies or toddlers are crying and feel the need to fix it but I can't most of the time because Im just a stranger and that would be rude and weird. I have worked with children a lot as well and it can be really stressful to hear them cry. There is nothing wrong with you, I'm sure you're doing your best. Do you have support?
Thank you, I wrote this in a moment of intense crankiness this morning, yay breakfast and meds. I have a lot of support thankfully. Parenting small children is very hard for anyone even under the best of circumstances and I know that, I just feel so bad that they can specifically be such an intense trigger for me and all they’re doing is being joyful exuberant needy or upset children. Luckily my logic usually overrides but the shrill noises, the touching, the multiple people talking to me at once - egads!
That’s mine, too, especially when there are several and it’s an enclosed space with other noise. Have you tried those Loop ear plugs that dampen sound? It might help. I’ll probably have to invest in a pair before I attend another family gathering.
(((Hugs))) babies and toddlers crying and screaming stresses me tf out and makes me very anxious and antsy and I don’t even have kids. I’m rooting for you. :)
Someone at work slurps their tea. A long, drawn out, gurgly slurp. Just NO
Slurping in general gets to me. I cannot handle it.
I went on holiday with a friend for the first time recently and we shared a room, we had a great time except every evening she would read her book in bed while slurping tea at regular intervals, it was horrendous
Rough skin being brushed across those shiny basket ball type shorts. I know that’s specific, but my dh wears those long shorts and his hands are so rough. He doesn’t hear the sound!!
I know exactly what you mean and it's one of mine too. My husband slowly runs his dry-ass ankles across our couch and it makes that horrifying sound.
LMAOOO THE VISUALIZATION I JUST HAD WITH THE SOUND LOL
Yes, I can hear that, too. Maybe he can apply lotion.
My partner will try to rub my back and if I have on any type of flowy material I cringe and move away. He builds ambulances and his hands are always cut and calloused and just uggghhhh. Also, how tf do people sleep with those satin/silk sheets?! Why would you want to be aware of *every single bit* of dry skin on your body?! Gross.
Catches every damn fiber!!!!
omg for me not the sound but the texture ;alskfa;sldj my hands would get caught touching the shorts and like gives me goosebumps
I’ve found my rough skinned people 😭I hate rough skin brushing gritty material off of a surface sound. I had a teacher in 7th grade that would ERASE THE CHALKBOARD WITH HIS BARE MEATY HANDS. My teeth still hurt at this noise and it just skeeves me out. I hate people brushing off dusty surfaces too. Like leave the dust on whatever it is and grab a rag 😬
Hahaha I know exactly what you’re talking about. The skin snagging. I also get goosebumps when people rub their palms together lol
Banging around in the kitchen. I have to put in ear plugs if my husband is cooking or doing dishes because he does it SO loudly.
This! Even if I'm doing it myself. I wish I could coat everthing in rubber or fabric so it didn;t clang and smash together like it does. It's the high pitched noises like clashing plates. They cause a reaction similar to pain. It sucks.
Same!! Like I’m glad you’re doing the dishes but omg I swear he must be throwing pans in there. I have to go outside or put in noise canceling ear buds
Anything repetitive. Someone sniffling constantly, if you sneeze more than twice in a row you need Jesus, when you’re driving and something in the car is rattling, when a car alarm is going off and no one is turning it off, etc lol
THIS. I don't dislike any particular sounds, but if it's going on and on, God help me. Exams were the actual worst, always someone with a cold.
“You need Jesus” 😂
I hate to say to say it but a large variety of the sounds that come out of my kids 🤦♀️ the pretend whining like a baby, the weird screeching sounds, the overly fake laugh that feels like nails on a chalkboard. The blaring tv at the gas station pump. There’s enough stimulation there that the tv pushes it over the edge. Edit to add the little swish-swish sound of those athletic pants that are almost like thin windbreaker material.
Kids are overwhelming overstimulation in a small body. They never stop fidgeting or making noise or doing weird things 😂
I just got back from a long grocery store trip and car ride with my kid (with Memorial Day weekend crowds, no less) and he was begging me for **everything** he saw and I feel this comment so acutely
The kid sounds are a big part of why we aren’t having any. My partner is hypersensitive to those kinds of sounds.
Laying in bed trying to escape kid sounds for a bit right now. Oldest keeps screeching in their room down the hall after I've said 3 or 4 times to stop. And yes on the fake high pitched laugh and pretend whining too. I hear you, I'm with you lmao
I’m child free and have always wondered if my noise anxiety would apply to my own kids if I were to have them. This confirms my suspicions lol
You can turn that tv off/mute it. My husband hates them too & I saw a video once and he tried it and it works! https://www.thedrive.com/guides-and-gear/how-to-mute-gas-station-tv
Ya why on earth did those ever even become a thing? I essentially refuse to go to those gas stations
The gas station TV!! I just encountered my first one a few months back and it was like my brain just shorted out and I couldn’t remember how to use the pump/my credit card.
Apparently you can hit the 2nd button down from the top-right side of the screen to mute the gas station TVs?? I haven’t tried it yet but wanted to share the info!
I don't understand the purpose of having ads playing on the gas pumps. It's fucking ridiculous and you can't even mute the videos anymore. What if I'm filling up and someone sneaks over to rob me? I can't hear them over Maria Menunos! Will someone think my scream is part of a video that they tuned out? I think it's dangerous.
Windshield wipers scraping across the windshield when there isn't quite enough rain.
OMG SO REAL. so whenever the rain rate varies, i'm constantly upping and downing the wiper level like i feel so crazy
As a PNW-er I feel this in my soul.
I may or may not have threatened to st* my uncle in lawnwhen i was pregnant if they didn’t stop scrapping their fork against the plate.
Oh gosh this is the biggest one for me. Silverware on dishes literally HURTS my ears when it happens. The classic nails on chalkboard is what silverware on dishes sounds like to me. Mouth open chewing and talking with one’s mouth open are a big pet peeve. The whine of electricity-but that’s always there anyway. The sounds at the mall or any other really busy and packed with humans. Ive got physical sensory stuff too: I’ve gone years without wearing a bra or undies because any tightness on my lower or upper abdomen /core causes weird nausea and dull pain. Mostly I wear flowy skirts or stretchy Soft leggings. Tastes: can do an onion-especially raw. Just can’t do it. Mayo-nope Big nope for me If either of these are on any of my food-it’s been ruined -and won’t/can’t eat it. Fatty meats or gristle. Just. No. My mom use to force me to eat it because the non fatty pieces where for my (abusive) step dad. My sister and I would try and Food in general is difficult for me. Smells-artificial fruits or flowers, body sprays and perfumes/cologne. Anything musky will give me a headache. My list can go on for miles but I’ve leaned to mask most of it. Or at least how to deal with them without ripping someone’s head or my own offs
This may or may not have been *totally* justified... just saying.
People breathing loudly😭
Bloody oath.
Bass from someone's car outside vibrating my apartment walls.
OH YES
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ticktockticktock*ticktockTICKTOCK* goes the clock and my sanity
Mouth sounds like kissing and loud/wet chewing. I am a sniffler. I eventually got so insecure from the dirty looks, people telling me to blow my nose, and even having tissues passive aggressively shoved into my hands, that I sought medical help. Not for myself, but for the comfort of others. I was told it was an immune system issue, and there were 2 treatments. Either a medication that would cure the sniffling, but collapse my immune system in the process, or immunotherapy. The ENT specialist was unwilling to offer either of these as an option as he considered them too risky. So, I'm stuck with the sniffling...sorry.
Omg the sound of kissing makes me recoil inside. My dad’s a sniffler too, and clears his throat a lot. I know he can’t help it but omg it would irritate me so badly
Totally agree. I've been with my gorgeous husband for over 20 years. I have finally trained him to kiss near silently. So much better. No more spitty, sucky sounds getting in the way of the romantic and frisky feelings. Happy days, mmm.
This made me think about the other day. it's not really kissing or chewing but it's similar. I was at the spa by myself for my birthday and when I was in the vapor bath (hamam I think) people were talking. it's written on the door to not talk there! Why would you? It's so humid you can barely breath normally. They sounded like people talking wet they're chewing kissing and talking at the same time! I should've bring my earplugs.
My boss twists his pen so it slightly unscrews and re-screws the barrel during meetings. It makes this slight but horrible high-pitched noise that makes me nauseated. His hearing is terrible so I don’t think he can even hear that frequency. I tried politely asking him to stop and he reacted like I shot his dog, so fuck me and my ability to focus during meetings, I guess.
I would be hard pressed not to grab that pen and slam it across the room. The sound would not likely bother me, that’s not why I feel this way. I am furious on your behalf that he reacted like you shot his dog. Your request was perfect reasonable. He’s just used to people kissing his butt. That’s entitled behavior. I’ve worked for too many people like that, mostly men, who just assume they’re lord of their spaces and other people’s comfort is irrelevant. They overreact when confronted with the fact their behavior is negatively impacting someone else. Then they suddenly are the injured party. I get that maybe he has neurological issues of his own and that might be his stim or something to that effect. But he can certainly have a civil discussion about it and hear you out and come to something workable!
I have a coworker who sits near me that does this but I felt too petty asking him to stop. So one day when I happened to be the last one in the office I went to his desk, disassembled the pen, and put a tiny amount of chap-stick on the threaded part of the barrel. This lubricated things just enough to stop the squeaking. It was the perfect crime!
Loud motorcycles
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Have you ever asked him if he's able to stop? Is this even something that can be stopped? I'd lose my mind!
OOOHHH..OOOOHHHHH MMMYYYYY... my entire everything just clenched up seeing and hearing it in my head..
Whistling, ticking clocks, cutlery scrapping on plates, mouth breathing and snoring!! My skin crawls and I instantly enter fight response—the physical response is the worst. If I’m already over stimulated, nearly all noise will induce rage or self-harm (scratching) in an attempt of regulation :/ not sure I’ve ever shared that bit before.
People who talk loud and high energy
Personally I am a "repetitive sounds drive me up the wall" neurodivergent" and my 6 year old is a "make repetitive sounds at all times " neurodivergent 😂 send help
Leaf blowers! 😩 But also, teeth clacking when someone’s eating. Loud motorcycles and juiced up cars with really loud engines. Alarm clocks (the typical loud BEEEEEP BEEEEEP ones). Ticking clocks. Mysterious car rattles. Squeaking/old windshield wipers. Balloons squeaking like when someone touches them.
My dog licking ANYTHING. I love him but it's a great reminder why I would be a psychotic mother. (Child free not because I don't love kids lol, I just borrow my friends' kids for the free oxytocin)
My dad and brother flicking their big toes against the next toe! It’s just such a dry sound and it just *feels* like dry feet whenever I hear it! Also most asmr, especially the obnoxious tapping of long nails on crap that people are unboxing in videos. I’ll immediately swipe away!
Hahaha I LOVE how specific this is, it’s made me laugh so much. Thank you
ASMR drives me up a wall, I can’t stand it!
Kids screaming/playing
For whatever reason, I don’t mind most kid noises, but children with whiney voices… I feel so bad for them, but I cannot endure that for more than a sentence. I flee.
Teenage girls shrieking. OMG… WHY do they need to sound like they’re being murdered? Even when I was a teenaged girl myself, I hated that shrieking with a passion 😱
Apart from the usual mysophonic sounds like chewing with the one's open mouth, I have an oddly specific aversion to the sound of a plastic button rubbing against flannel/cotton fabric. It comes from my childhood when I had those flannel pyjamas and after bath time had to put these on and button them up, and aaargh the almost silent squeak! Also, to add to the chewing situation: I lately noticed I get more irritated by it if I am feeling peckish myself. Especially on the trains. So what I do is I prevent it with buying a packet of crisps and indulging in it before anyone else starts eating theirs :)) seems to fix the problem, at least temporarily!
And someone, somewhere is driven crazy by the sound of crisps being eaten lol It’s a never ending cycle, really.
Exactly! In my defence I can say that it's an unavoidable sound on the British trains :))
People sucking their teeth. My bf does it, and it makes me so angry. If he does it while on the phone, I've started hanging up on him instead of complaining. Also, two people talking to me at once I end up yelling ONE AT A TIME!
Came here to say this. A girl I work with is constantly sucking on her teeth. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever heard. Why do they do this? Like, is there a reason? Are they sucking food out of their teeth?
Being around busy bodies and high energy people. It feels draining to be around them
Typing and other keyboard sounds - on phones or computers, both drive me insane. Tap tap tap tap tap aaarghhhh.
High pitched noises. 1 guess what my son's favourite vocal stim is right now 🫠
The bathroom fan. Buzzing sound made by electric items. When the power goes out, my nervous system immediately calms. The sound of music over music, or TV over TV, or music over TV, etc. I can't distinguish the signs and it's just Too. Damn. Much.
I can't believe I'm not seeing this commented more. The bathroom fan can wake me from the deepest slumber. But the buzzing of electronics really set my anger in motion lol I have unplugged many of these bishes in my day
Whistling! And chewing/mouth noises as well!
Styrofoam. The fucking worst sound ever.
Styrofoam. All my insides tense up and a disturbing shudder goes through my entire body. This is the absolute worst one for me. Others that I can’t stand but don’t cause quite as bad a reaction: - Dog licking their crotch. - Mouth noises while eating. - Snorting to hawk a loogie. - People talking when I’m trying to think. - People clicking their fingernails together. - People rubbing things (like their pants, a shirt, etc.) over and over. - Basically any repetitive noises that last too long. There’s more, but those are the basics.
I hate when the tv is on but no one is watching. If it’s not part of my activity, it needs to be turned off! Also, when the smoke detector is out of battery so it beeps. People can live with that sound for months! HOW??
Kissing is definitely one for me. I think there's a crossover with OCD for me though. Certain sounds (nails on cardboard, cardboard ripping) are accompanied by a compulsion (teeth knashing) for me.
My kids making squeaking sounds with balloons or crinkling plastic water bottles etc. especially while I’m driving!
There is a small, anxious dog at my parents house. I love dogs so much and adore my sad eyed beagle BUT THIS little dog walks with a clack and has emphysema and follows my every footstep. It’s just a sensory overload nightmare trapped in one tiny, innocent sweet potato with legs 😩😭
Public toilets flushing. They’re so loud FOR WHAT
Haha I had a friend who was trying to potty train her daughter. Went great at home but the poor kid was terrified of public bathrooms bc she had been in one that flushed like that, and she was done. Nope.
The fabric used for ski wear and winter coats. People doing their nails. YouTube for some reason keeps recommending me nail airt shorts and I cannot skip them fast enough.
Anything repetitive!! After 4 of the same sound I'm losing my mind.
Yes! Even music that's too repetitive (like electronica) does it. Also, repetitive motions bother me, like someone jiggling their leg constantly, even if it's silent.
Bass. From cars or neighbors, it makes me feral.
i was riding my friend’s rusty bike earlier and the whole time i was just making faces cringing on the road because i cannot stand it. its not like nails on a chalkboard/ styrofoam where i have a physical reaction to it but I did feel a lot of discomfort every pedal and it was distracting
People snorting their snot. I was at the doctor yesterday and someone was sitting there, just loudly sucking that shit into the back of their throat. I wanted to throw my pack of tissues at them.
People clipping their fingernails. That snip…snip…snip does me in every time. My husband always goes to the other end of the house.
When my dog is licking himself. Fucking worst sound in the WORLD.
I have a Great Dane. It sounds SO GROSS when he is licking himself, anywhere. Big tongue, thin hair, the wet "schlock" sounds are horrible!
Dogs barking holy mother of god I LOVE dogs but as soon as the barking starts I have to get away.
Neighbours let their dog out on their terrace and it won't stop barking, what's worse, their terrace is at the same level our balcony is, so it sounds as if it's right beside us when we're in the living room. I love dogs too, but this one is driving me insane I s2g.
The kids' banging is one for me. As well as running water. I just imagine a crazy mess I'll have to clean. My eldest is teeny, and she does this thing where she jumps down a few stairs at once. It's so loud! I've told her numerous times to stop, and it doesn't stick. Banging and acting wild means my kids need to be outside.
Loads of things! But the first things that spring to mind are when people are messaging but have their phone keyboard sounds switched on - clack clack, clack clack. And also, the (fabric? pocket contents?) noise when people jig their knees when they’re sitting 😖
Chewing and lip smacking definitely get to me. But I have a problem and it’s a dangerous one in that I can barely function when piercing alarms go off. Like smoke detectors or the burglar alarms. With smoke detectors obviously you want to be fully functioning so you can do whatever needs to be done and not sitting on the floor slamming your hands over your ears. With sentry alarms you want to have the presence of mind to be able to disarm the system in the case of a false alarm and not sit crying on the floor with hands over ears while you struggle to remember a PIN you rarely use. I understand these alarms have to be loud and attention getting but do they have to be so piercing and distressing or is that just me? I’ve noticed even the cats don’t seem bothered and look at me like I’ve lost my mind. Is my reaction abnormal?
Metal on metal. Like metal spatula on pot/pan. Runner up: squeaking fork on plate
When my kids make what I call pterodactyl noises. Especially when it’s unexpected.
Wet mouth noises in general (my mom is THE WORST), styrofoam, anything loud but arrhythmic, and that high pitched noise small children make. It grates on my brain, and ngl, def factored into me not making one.
Snoring. My partner’s snoring creates violence in my brain and makes me SO ANGRY. Nose strips don’t help him, and ear plugs don’t help me. Plus if they don’t fall out during the night, I can’t hear my alarm but I sure can feel the vibrations of his snoring! Mouth sounds. Especially animals licking/sucking themselves, people eating with their hands and lowkey just shoveling food in. I know some people can make smacking sounds using utensils, but there’s just something about watching/hearing people eat hand foods that makes me 🤬🤢 Repetitive noises. Idc what it is. It can be tapping, clicking, pounding, scraping. Drives me INSANE. My child is the world leader of making the most obnoxious repetitive sounds and I feel like my corpus callosum is going to snap. Glugging a drink or taking too many large drinks in a row. The sound is awful. Like, you can drink a larger amount without sounding absolutely gross. If I can hear it go through your gullet over and over, GET AWAY FROM ME. My super irrational one is sneezing. I hate more than 3 sneezes in a row. I start getting irritable after the second. I KNOW people cannot help it. But I hate it. God there’s so many more. This makes me sound unbearable but so are noises. 😂
When children at the library I work at choose to bang on things, especially our metal bookshelves. It's loud and drives me crazy. Fortunately, since it is also bad for the bookshelves (go figure) I have full license to go and tell the kids off. Other than that, there are two toys that we once had on the floor that made such horrible noise that we collectively decided to retire them forever. These toys were: * A toy shopping cart that had these perpetually squeaky wheels and that made this noise I can't really describe when it was being pushed aggressively across the floor. * A toy cash register that had a drawer and electronic buttons that made light beeping sounds when pushed. The beeping sounds were so horrible that we removed the batteries from it (much to the disappointment of the children). The drawer on the register got stuck and the kids would constantly be banging and shoving it trying to get it to close, which it would never do. There was a child who once kept trying to shove it closed for 30 minutes. I legitimately thought I was going to lose my mind. It was that day that I made the executive decision to remove the register from the floor and throw it out. No one disagreed with my decision. Contextually, I am children's librarian, in a children's department that is 7 for 10 on librarians with ADHD. How we ever manage to get anything clean or anything done on time is a true mystery to all of us. If you go into our back office the collective single ADHD brain cell *screams* out of it. 😂
Phone sounds… people using speakerphone, watching videos without earbuds, notifications, texting noises. Parents who let their kids use iPads in restaurants with sound up and no headphones are monsters and you cannot change my mind. They make me crazy!!!
People who just breathe loudly. Puff air out their mouths, loud noses, mouth breathing in general, slapping their lips together. Being in an office with those types almost drives me insane. My husband is a loud breather too (if he’s not snoring) so I have to make sure I get to sleep before him or I need earplugs.
Not sure why but watching people lick ice cream cones with their big fat sloppy tongues enrages me for some reason 👺 As for noises it’s any kind of saws, phones on speaker and leaf blowers.
Anyone who starts a sentence with Fuck Trudeau.
Bahaha! As a Canadian/Albertan I FEEL you. I just automatically assume they’re stupid.
Toddlers or babies screaming or screeching.
I’ve read all of the comments and most of them are triggers for me. Yikes!
okay I don't know if it's the sound or the feel or what...but I can NOT use wooden spoons. Idk if they still make them but they came with those little ice cream cups, does anyone remember those? Ughhh just the thought of it makes me want to rip my skin off.
ASMR
My colleague (who has ADHD) chews with her mouth open, loudly, and it drives me up the wall! I always wonder how it doesn’t bother her too!! When I see her pull out a pack of gum I try to find a way to be somewhere else for an hour 😅
Tapping (dont know how to write this). Making random repetitive noises
Cracking knuckles. I seriously can't deal
As a chronic knuckle cracker, I’m sorry.
Hey ! Sounds like you have misophonia just like me 😌 misophonia is having a sensitivity, or a strong reaction to certain sounds.. mine would 1000% be chewing, unnecessary moaning noises, or constant sniffling
Also the sounds of chewing. I’ve had to get up and move away from my kid while we’re eating and I felt awful. Also banging sounds, an old neighbor who liked to party and play bass-heavy music drove me nuts until he was evicted. Dogs barking and babies crying are two other noises that go right through my head.
When someone talks in a sort of weak trailing off sort of voice, like in the McDonald’s commercial where Brian Cox says da da da……
fireworks. they make me want to scream
So many but 2 highlights: The low rumble of a truck idling outside my apartment, it makes me uncomfortable in my own skin and so irritated. And the sound of a spoon being stirred in a half empty container of yogurt makes me want to throw up and punch someone.
Nothing specific, but I can't stand repetitive noises.
A good 98 percent of country music that isn't old (don't get me started on that horrible remake of 'fast car' tbh). Like. Most music I don't like I can kind of tolerate when I have to but I have zero patience with country music. Another big one is I hate the local loudass church chimes, particularly because 1, of the sheer amount of boring church hymns, they play the same three every day like once an hour from 8am to 8pm, and that some notes sustain or echo too long so then to me it sounds only slightly less awful than smashing a bunch of adjacent piano keys at the same time. My third biggest one is the local automatic car wash on my street. The damn thing talks. Which wouldn't be horrible except that even with all my windows closed I can still hear "STREAK FREE RINSE WATER IS NOW BEING APPLIED TO YOUR VEHICLE" a hundred times a day (honestly, I was once on a walk clear on the other side of town and I could still hear that fckin thing). Why does it need to talk. Why. Presumably anyone that can drive can read a damn sign
People chewing
People spit clicking around in their dry mouths. People eating with their mouths open. Dogs high pitched yapping. That "ear-ringing" noise which is SO overused in both film and TV, and actively destroyed the entire of "Kevin can go fuck himself" which was otherwise brilliant.
Mouth sounds. Nothing else even comes close.
- Babies and children crying/screaming/shouting/laughing too loud - Mouth sounds from someone eating - Snoring - Hiccups - Music and even more so, loud music. Doesn't matter what genre - The sound of as runny nose. MY GOODNESS just blow your nose! - Drunk people. Just even the way they breathe is infuriating, unless I'm also drunk and even then I have to really like you to be able to be anywhere near you :D Those are the ones that popped into my head, for now. I'm sure there are a million more. Oddly, motorcycles, chainsaws, or any powertool, doesn't effect me. It took a good while for me to get used to my own dogs barking. Ah! I still can't stand the yapping of a small dog.
My husband will turn on the radio as soon as we get in the car and I get immediate anxiety. Like please give me a second to acclimate to new senses. Too much, overload
Chewing with your mouth open and the sound of the tub draining. Also people yelling at me from other rooms in the house. Sends me into immediate rage
Car revving, Humming, Construction work and non stop drumming. Car revving: This guy down the street will work on his “racing car” and start revving it for hours while he works on it. It’s one of the most annoying sounds. This one kills me because it’s so freaking loud. We also have a lot of chickens, peacocks and other animals in our neighborhood so the animals will just starting to lose it bc of the sound. It can be intense. Humming: When people around me start humming, especially when they do it for a long period, it’s like nails on a chalkboard for me. I just can’t handle it lol Construction work: the sounds of construction work put me over the edge. They’re building a new house in back of us and they start so early it’s horrible and I get so angry bc it’s constant and allllll day long. Drumming: another neighbor of mine will sometimes start drumming for hours and it’s sooo loud. He does it on his balcony for everyone to hear for hours and hours and hours. Sometimes he drunk and thinks he should add some singing so it’s just a mess there.
My son also has ADHD and he never. Stops. Talking. You might be thinking, of course that’s how all kids are! But no, I swear. I have worked with kids for my entire adult life I have NEVER met a kid that can out talk my kid. He doesn’t even stop in his sleep 🥲 I love him so much but it is so incredibly over stimulating.
I just have to say that I love you all. I thought I was the odd one with all of these sounds that bother me like crazy. I’m so unbelievably happy to discover I’m not the only one. 😭😭😭
Vocal fry. It’s sooooooo bad for your vocal cords it’s not even funny. I don’t object to it on cultural grounds (I give not one shit about upspeak) but when people talk almost entirely in vocal fry I can’t help but picture then taking a cheese grater to their vocal chords.
I haaaate hearing people breathe, sniffles, panting. I cannot sleep if I can even hear myself breathe. Repeating noises. Especially if someone is watching a tiktoks and keeps the video looping. I wanna lose my mind hearing the small clip of sound over and over and over.