I believe I inherited misophonia – a dislike of and discomfort with certain sounds – from my father. He was sensitive to chewing noises. As a kid, I learned to chew food quietly and with my mouth closed. I still eat pretty silently with minimal chewing. I, too, dislike the sounds of chewing and eating.
For most of my thirties and forties, I needed to play music at dinner to cover the noise and keep myself from having to leave the table. It isn’t bad manners on the part of my dining partners; this is all on me. Fortunately, that trigger seems to have faded away except when my dinner companions are actually loud chewers or I am suffering anxiety or discomfort from other causes.
However, the misophonia hasn’t left me. It’s shifted into a trigger that is way more insidious than chewing. My tinnitus perhaps paired with my specific deafness has made me sensitive to white noise. I am learning that my house is full of white noises: the tumble-hum of the dryer; buzz of the dehumidifier; the swish of the dishwasher; fans; air conditioners.
And rain on the tin roof. Hmm…
I (used to) love the sound of rain on a tin roof. It’s so soothing, like a sonic blanket. When we designed 555, I was happy that I’d have that comforting noise on rainy days. I knew the rain curtain directing water to the ground would be absolutely beautiful in sight and sound.
But it isn’t turning out that way. When there is too much white noise, I get antsy. I pace the house, wandering from room to room wondering why I am not able to settle. It’s hard to get work done. I struggle to focus.
The mechanical things I can turn off, but rain isn’t under my control.
So I have to figure out how to work with it. Or around it. And according to every misophonia and tinnitus resource I’ve read, there’s no clear answer. Everyone sort of figures it out for themselves. So here is what I am figuring out so far:
- Lean into it
- I still love the smell and sight of rain
- The sound of rain is fine if I am out in it
- It’s a relief to sit at an open window so I can connect sound to my other senses
- Drown it out
- Listen to familiar music with headphones
- Podcasts work even better – if they are interesting enough
- Take action
- Humming, singing, and talking out loud to myself (or others, of course)
- Moving my body with yoga or dance
- Wandering around the house is mostly ineffective
- Physical labor, even housecleaning, is good
- Mental labor is challenging when my brain is fuzzy with overstimulating sounds
- A creative flow state absolutely erases the misophonia but is hard to get into
- Pass the time
- The bedroom is the quietest room
- Napping is a natural choice
- Movies or TV work if they are engaging enough
- Reading is difficult
- Not make it worse
- Definitely no laundry or dishwasher on rainy days
- Turn off fans, the dehumidifier, and other sources of white noise when necessary and possible
The cats think weather is under my jurisdiction and always complain at me to stop the rain. We are all disappointed that I cannot.
