When 4S/Misophonia strikes at work...

September 9, 2011

I work as a receptionist in a highly respected office where we have visitors in

and out regularly.

This morning, a visitor showed up 15 minutes early for a meeting - and as she

sat in the lobby, 20 feet away from me, all I could hear was her breathing and

the sound of her smacking her lips periodically.

I couldn't stop staring at her. I felt wide-eyed and I was (unawaredly) holding

my breath. Every once in a while she would catch me staring, at which point I

would frantically start typing gibberish, or simply flash a weak smile (real

smiles don't exist when you feel the 'rage'). I couldn't fathom how in the world

she was making so much noise just sitting there! " How dare she make those noises

knowing somebody else is sitting in the room??! Is she doing it on purpose?? " It

consumed my thoughts for an entire fifteen minutes. Ridiculous. And, no. Of

course she didn't know.

Yesterday, one of our secretarires stood behind me trying to help me solve a few

computer problems... As much as I appreciated her help, ALL I wanted was for her

to leave. Immediately. Why? Her breathing. She breathed out of her nose

rhythmically for, what felt like, the longest three minutes of my life:

" Innn-ouuuut... silence... Innn-ouuuut... silence... Innn-ouuut... " etc. Again,

I felt myself grow wide-eyed, and pressure grew in my chest - I tried to let my

own breathing drown hers out, but I'm a silent breather (which irritated me even

more... " If I can do it, why can't she?! " )! After she left, I thought to myself,

" Really? Now you expect people to stop breathing around you? " Does this somehow

make me a sadist?

How do YOU deal with your 4S/Misophonia at the office? Does it make you hate

your job - or just the people making the noises?

**Sidenote: As I was writing this post, my mother texted me this from her

doctor's office - " Gum cracker in the waitnig room... Panic! " My family is a

mess.

**Double Sidenote: She just texted me again - " She cracks loudly about once a

minute and no one notices... NO ONE! "

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