If You Keep Eating Like That, No One Will Love You

Oh. My. Gosh. Do I mean this. Not the quality, quantity, or frequency of which you eat, because, let's be real, I have no room to talk. Not any of that, but how loudly you choose to do this. At least around me. That's my real issue here.

Fun fact: I have misophonia. What exactly is misophonia, you ask? Misophonia, as defined by Wikipedia (a totally reliable source), "is a neurological disorder in which negative experiences are triggered by specific sounds." Boom. That's it, really. And an individual's reaction (disgust, anger, fight, flight, whatever) to his or her specific trigger really sets the tone for the day. My typical reaction is disgust, so if you ever see me with a look on my face like you are the most repugnant person in the world, it's totally not your fault; I'm just reacting to one of my triggers. Unless you're Glenn Beck. Then you are, undisputedly, the most repugnant.

Triggers range from person to person. DISCLAIMER: IF YOU HAVE MISOPHONIA, STOP READING RIGHT NOW AND SCROLL DOWN. I'M GOING TO LIST MY TRIGGERS, AND I DON'T WANT TO PUT YOU THROUGH ANY MORE ANGUISH THAN WHAT IS DEALT IN EVERYDAY LIFE.


My triggers specifically are: eating noises of any kind, swallowing, drinking noises, pen clicking, sniffling, that tiny smacking noise that some people make when they're talking, repetitive consonants (mostly s sounds), chewing ice, and weird visual stimuli like fidgeting with papers.

Thanks, Chandler.

MISOPHONIA SUFFERERS, COME BACK IN. Welcome.

Okay, imagine you hate the sound of people eating. Not just a dislike, but blood boiling hatred. And every time someone does that around you, it's the equivalent of someone dragging their nails down a chalkboard. And now it's not just eating, it's also the sound of the other triggers I listed. Almost 10 different things a person can do can send you into a fit. The chances of someone activating one of your triggers is incredibly high. And remember, not only do strangers do this, but so do the people you love. Essentially every person with whom you come into contact will make your skin crawl. Imagine that every single day of your life. The constant frustration is enough to drive me to tears, but then again, I'm a baby.

The frustration I feel with myself is pretty constant, considering I get so angry with the people so close to me over something they probably don't realize is killing me. I have no blame for these people, I'm aware it's all me and my hypersensitive brain. The thought of me killing my relationships because of this disorder absolutely terrifies me. What if I miss out on a killer opportunity because I couldn't look at a potential employer because they were fidgeting and had dry mouth? What if I disregard Mr. Right because he has a cold? Like I said, terrifying.

I don't want to be the social pariah because I lashed out at someone who had triggered my reaction. The pain inflicted by this disorder often goes unnoticed or is disregarded, while the sufferers are being told to simply "get over it." Those triggers aren't just annoying; they do mold how I react to a day.  If my happiness and comfort is dependent on me avoiding being around someone who on the off chance might breathe, there's something wrong. I'm just saying we need to raise awareness of this disorder. Until I heard the word, I thought I was hypercritical of everyone. Now I know I'm just nutso. Haha, just kidding. It can be difficult and overwhelming, and I do apologize in advance if something does trigger while I'm around you. Just giver me a moment, and I'll be back in no time.


Also, I do apologize for the nature of this post. It's been a very long/tough weekend, and this topic has been heavy on my mind as of late. I've wanted to blog about it for a while, but I could never bring myself to do it. I really hope I've condensed it so people could understand the frustration and hurt that go along with misophonia. Thanks for putting up with this semi-ranty post. Love you guys.

I Write Nasty Things About My Cousin on My Blog.

That's a lie. I was just using that to get you here, Alicia.

Recently, I was nominated for a Liebster award by Lauren. When I say recently, I really mean two and a half weeks ago. . .close enough. She and I were in a movie together a few years ago, and she's such a cool person. Her blog is really great, too. So check it out.

Okay. So about how long it took me to get around to doing this. It's just been a weird couple of weeks. I haven't necessarily been busy, just not in the right mindset to write. Whatever. I'm over it and writing now. 

Here we go.

The Liebster Award is an award distributed by bloggers for blogger with under 200 followers. Rad, right? It's a cool way to learn more about the writers behind the blogs you read.

The Rules:
1. Choose 11 other up-and-coming bloggers and link to them in your Liebster post.
2. Answer the 11 questions the previous blogger set for you, then create 11 different ones for the bloggers you will choose.
3. Let those bloggers know you nominated them.
4. No tag backs. No mulligans. No puppy guarding. Okay, just don't tag the person who nominated you. Or puppy guard. It's the worst.
5. Display the Liebster logo. Nailed it.

Lauren's Questions to Me

1. Did you like coffe the first time you tried it?

Like, straight, black coffee? No. I still don't like black coffee. When I do drink coffee, which is a rare occurrence indeed (I'm a tea person), it needs to be so diluted with cream and sugar it just vaguely resembles the drink it began as.

2. Quick. Fast. Most beautiful celebrity ever. Male or female. I don't care.

Ryan Reynold is the prettiest man I've ever seen. He's also hilarious, so that helps.

3. Which book have you most enjoyed over the past 5 years? Why?

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey, for a couple different reasons. A) Up until spring 2011, I had never read a novel about the environment. B) It made me fall in love with Arches National Park - a real place I've never been. It's easy to fall in love with a fantastical environment, however, this book doesn't romanticize the park. It just is what it is. And it's a beautiful, decaying/living place. I love it.


4. What is your favorite season of the year? Why?

Baseball season. Go Royals & Giants! (I can do that because they're in different leagues. And because I do what I want.)

5. Is there a blog that you read every day? Which one?

I don't know if this really counts. . .I'm  on If You Can't Afford to Tip a lot. There are just a lot of relatable things for anyone in the service industry. And I love laughing at stupid people.

6. Milk chocolate or dark chocolate?

Milk chocolate. Hands down. Any day of the week.

7. Which cartoon did you watch the most when you were little?

Either Rugrats or Cowboys of Moo Mesa

8. If you could be a kitchen appliance, what would you be? Why?

I've actually discussed this topic before. I'd be an ice cube maker because I want everyone to chill. (:

9. How do you feel about the Oxford comma?

You know I have an opinion on this. I was an English student. It's a necessary part of punctuation that's frequently overlooked.

That last comma makes all the difference.

10. If they made another Austin Powers movie, who would you cast as the newest leading lady?

Cloris Leachman. . .is she still alive? I don't care. Her. I'd cast her.

11. Which are cuter, puppies or kittens? And no saying "baby hedgehogs," because obviously they would win.

This is an impossible question to answer. I love both sooooooooo much. Baby red pandas? I cheated and I'm not ashamed.

My Brainbusters for you:

1. Crumple or fold? (toilet paper, that is.)
2. How do you feel about people who chew on ice?
3. How do we know each other?
4. *NSync or Backstreet Boys? Why?
5. What is one book that changed your life? How?
6. How is your life different than what you had imagined it would be at age 11?
7. Is there one piece of jewelry that you always wear?
8. Why aren't tattoos/facial piercings acceptable in the majority of professional workplaces?
9. Could you survive without sunglasses? Obviously I'm being dramatic. How would forgetting your sunglasses at home impact your day?
10. What language do you love to listen to, but don't understand or speak any yourself? Why?
11. What is your favorite color combination?

AND THE NOMINEES FOR A LIEBSTER AWARD (from Britni) ARE:

Can I Get That in Cornflower Blue? - Josh

In These Shoes - Chelsea

Grace and Peace - Mairin

Stepping Out From the Old and Into The New - Amanda

Coffee and Crayolas with Ms. Roemmich - Kat

Jealous for Me - Hillary

Things I See God Do. . . - Stephanie

Point of Focus - Laura

I know there are only 8. I honestly don't follow a lot of blogs, but these ones are my favorites. Some of the people don't post often/haven't posted in a while, but I hope this sparks them back into writing. *fingers crossed*

Lauren, thanks so much for nominating me! I can't wait to read what everyone else writes. (: