Re: Working in an office?

[Guest guest]

Hi Chris

I work in an office and am constantly triggered. On either side of my cubicle is someone who makes trigger noises which set me off into a rage. To be honest, I don't even have a coping mechanism anymore. I keep my radio on low but that does not help. I cannot wear headphones or earplugs as I have many people coming to me and I have to answer the phones all throughout the day. The guy on one side of me drums on his desk all the time and snaps his fingers when he walks up and down the hall. The woman on the other side hiccups all the time. I am at the point where I am in such anticipation of the noise that I get myself enraged on the way to work. I try self talk to get me through it but it is very difficult. I think my next step is to get a noise machine or a loud fan to keep at my desk to drown out some of the sound.

If you have any suggestions, please share.

Hey everyone,

I work in an office and I can find it pretty distracting; I often wear earplugs and almost always wear headphones.

Sometimes I play a "crowded hallway" noise on "repeat" to drown out individual conversations.

I am wondering, do others of you work in an office and have similar coping techniques?

Or do you work in an office but not find yourself triggered?

Chris

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I can completely relate. I have a girl that sits next to be that hiccups, burps, talks to herself with very destinctive sssssssss sounds and is always laughing for no reason. To make matters worse, I have a lady that sits across from me that sucks on her teeth very loudly all day long and smokes so much she is constantly hacking up a lung. I have been reduced to tears on several occasions. Ear plugs don't work and I try to drown out the vile sounds and headphones are distracting with what I do for work. I feel helpless. I have asked on several times to be moved but with my luck I will get an open mouth chewer or ear piercing finger sucker. I wish I wasn't so easily annoyed, I feel like a bad person sometimes.

To: Soundsensitivity Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 10:12 AMSubject: Re: Working in an office?

Hi Chris

I work in an office and am constantly triggered. On either side of my cubicle is someone who makes trigger noises which set me off into a rage. To be honest, I don't even have a coping mechanism anymore. I keep my radio on low but that does not help. I cannot wear headphones or earplugs as I have many people coming to me and I have to answer the phones all throughout the day. The guy on one side of me drums on his desk all the time and snaps his fingers when he walks up and down the hall. The woman on the other side hiccups all the time. I am at the point where I am in such anticipation of the noise that I get myself enraged on the way to work. I try self talk to get me through it but it is very difficult. I think my next step is to get a noise machine or a loud fan to keep at my desk to drown out some of the sound.

If you have any suggestions, please share.

Hey everyone,

I work in an office and I can find it pretty distracting; I often wear earplugs and almost always wear headphones.

Sometimes I play a "crowded hallway" noise on "repeat" to drown out individual conversations.

I am wondering, do others of you work in an office and have similar coping techniques?

Or do you work in an office but not find yourself triggered?

Chris

[Guest guest]

Ok,Here are some things I've figured out that have worked for me.There's no guarantee that any of them will be feasible or will work for you, but I hope you get some benefit out of this list:1. If

you can get your phone to work through your computer (if you have a computer) then you can use the phone through headphones and listen to noise at the same time.Also, if your phone has an earphone jack I'm guessing there's probably a way to get a two-way splitter or something so you can listen to noise and the phone at the same time.This may or may not be technically feasible to set up.2. If you can position yourself so that you can see people as they come up to you, then you might be able to get away with

headphones(I sit partially facing a computer screen, but also at an angle so I can see people who are coming up to me.)Sometimes I'm oblivious to people around me, and they just have to wave their hands in front of my face or something.It's a bit embarrassing for me, but people don't seem to mind.3. It's hard to "block out" noises like tapping or drumming; but I find repeatedly playing similar noises that occur in a "cacophony" -- all at once so you can't make out

individual noises, helps me.For example, audio of rain falling on a windowsill might work for tapping (you can find this kind of thing on youtube, infinitelooper.com will loop audio over and over again.) If it's not "cacophonous" enough,open it twice simultaneously.4. Getting an official diagnosis affords you some protection under the Americans with Disabilites Act of 1999. Your workplace may be required by law to provide reasonable accommodations for your condition. To: Soundsensitivity Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 9:12 AM Subject: Re:

Working in an office?

Hi Chris

I work in an office and am constantly triggered. On either side of my cubicle is someone who makes trigger noises which set me off into a rage. To be honest, I don't even have a coping mechanism anymore. I keep my radio on low but that does not help. I cannot wear headphones or earplugs as I have many people coming to me and I have to answer the phones all throughout the day. The guy on one side of me drums on his desk all the time and snaps his fingers when he walks up and down the hall. The woman on the other side hiccups all the time. I am at the point where I am in such anticipation of the noise that I get myself enraged on the way to work. I try self talk to get me through it but it is very difficult. I think my next step is to get a noise machine or a loud fan to keep at my desk to drown out some of the sound.

If you have any suggestions, please share.

Hey everyone,

I work in an office and I can find it pretty distracting; I often wear earplugs and almost always wear headphones.

Sometimes I play a "crowded hallway" noise on "repeat" to drown out individual conversations.

I am wondering, do others of you work in an office and have similar coping techniques?

Or do you work in an office but not find yourself triggered?

Chris

[Guest guest]

Also, if you have long hair, you may be able to "secretly" listen to music or noise, using headphones with earplugs on the tips (these do exist.)I've never tried this myself because I don't have long enough hair. To: "Soundsensitivity " <Soundsensitivity > Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 9:27 AM Subject: Re: Working in an office?

Ok,Here are some things I've figured out that have worked for me.There's no guarantee that any of them will be feasible or will work for you, but I hope you get some benefit out of this list:1. If

you can get your phone to work through your computer (if you have a computer) then you can use the phone through headphones and listen to noise at the same time.Also, if your phone has an earphone jack I'm guessing there's probably a way to get a two-way splitter or something so you can listen to noise and the phone at the same time.This may or may not be technically feasible to set up.2. If you can position yourself so that you can see people as they come up to you, then you might be able to get away with

headphones(I sit partially facing a computer screen, but also at an angle so I can see people who are coming up to me.)Sometimes I'm oblivious to people around me, and they just have to wave their hands in front of my face or something.It's a bit embarrassing for me, but people don't seem to mind.3. It's hard to "block out" noises like tapping or drumming; but I find repeatedly playing similar noises that occur in a "cacophony" -- all at once so you can't make out

individual noises, helps me.For example, audio of rain falling on a windowsill might work for tapping (you can find this kind of thing on youtube, infinitelooper.com will loop audio over and over again.) If it's not "cacophonous" enough,open it twice simultaneously.4. Getting an official diagnosis affords you some protection under the Americans with Disabilites Act of 1999. Your workplace may be required by law to provide reasonable accommodations for your condition. To: Soundsensitivity Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 9:12 AM Subject: Re:

Working in an office?

Hi Chris

I work in an office and am constantly triggered. On either side of my cubicle is someone who makes trigger noises which set me off into a rage. To be honest, I don't even have a coping mechanism anymore. I keep my radio on low but that does not help. I cannot wear headphones or earplugs as I have many people coming to me and I have to answer the phones all throughout the day. The guy on one side of me drums on his desk all the time and snaps his fingers when he walks up and down the hall. The woman on the other side hiccups all the time. I am at the point where I am in such anticipation of the noise that I get myself enraged on the way to work. I try self talk to get me through it but it is very difficult. I think my next step is to get a noise machine or a loud fan to keep at my desk to drown out some of the sound.

If you have any suggestions, please share.

Hey everyone,

I work in an office and I can find it pretty distracting; I often wear earplugs and almost always wear headphones.

Sometimes I play a "crowded hallway" noise on "repeat" to drown out individual conversations.

I am wondering, do others of you work in an office and have similar coping techniques?

Or do you work in an office but not find yourself triggered?

Chris

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the suggestions Chris.. it is a hard environment I work in and unfortunately many of these things are difficult to put into place for me. I also work with a group of people which are not too accommodating or will make light of the issue. Sort of between a rock and a hard place.. it really stinks :-(

Also, if you have long hair, you may be able to "secretly" listen to music or noise, using headphones with earplugs on the tips (these do exist.)

I've never tried this myself because I don't have long enough hair.

Chris

To: "Soundsensitivity " <Soundsensitivity > Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 9:27 AMSubject: Re: Working in an office?

Ok,

Here are some things I've figured out that have worked for me.

There's no guarantee that any of them will be feasible or will work for you, but I hope you get some benefit out of this list:

1. If you can get your phone to work through your computer (if you have a computer) then you can use the phone through headphones and listen to noise at the same time.

Also, if your phone has an earphone jack I'm guessing there's probably a way to get a two-way splitter or something so you can listen to noise and the phone at the same time.

This may or may not be technically feasible to set up.

2. If you can position yourself so that you can see people as they come up to you, then you might be able to get away with headphones

(I sit partially facing a computer screen, but also at an angle so I can see people who are coming up to me.)

Sometimes I'm oblivious to people around me, and they just have to wave their hands in front of my face or something.

It's a bit embarrassing for me, but people don't seem to mind.

3. It's hard to "block out" noises like tapping or drumming; but I find repeatedly playing similar noises that occur in a "cacophony" -- all at once so you can't make out individual noises, helps me.

For example, audio of rain falling on a windowsill might work for tapping (you can find this kind of thing on youtube, infinitelooper.com will loop audio over and over again.) If it's not "cacophonous" enough,

open it twice simultaneously.

4. Getting an official diagnosis affords you some protection under the Americans with Disabilites Act of 1999. Your workplace may be required by law to provide reasonable accommodations for your condition.

Chris

To: Soundsensitivity Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 9:12 AMSubject: Re: Working in an office?

Hi Chris

I work in an office and am constantly triggered. On either side of my cubicle is someone who makes trigger noises which set me off into a rage. To be honest, I don't even have a coping mechanism anymore. I keep my radio on low but that does not help. I cannot wear headphones or earplugs as I have many people coming to me and I have to answer the phones all throughout the day. The guy on one side of me drums on his desk all the time and snaps his fingers when he walks up and down the hall. The woman on the other side hiccups all the time. I am at the point where I am in such anticipation of the noise that I get myself enraged on the way to work. I try self talk to get me through it but it is very difficult. I think my next step is to get a noise machine or a loud fan to keep at my desk to drown out some of the sound.

If you have any suggestions, please share.

Hey everyone,

I work in an office and I can find it pretty distracting; I often wear earplugs and almost always wear headphones.

Sometimes I play a "crowded hallway" noise on "repeat" to drown out individual conversations.

I am wondering, do others of you work in an office and have similar coping techniques?

Or do you work in an office but not find yourself triggered?

Chris

[Guest guest]

Hi

Have to say my coping technique is exactly the same as yours. I have the noise on quite low so I can still hear my phone ring.

And the office is by far the worst trigger location in my life. I store up reasons to leave my desk (need to go chat to someone, photocopy something, go to the water cooler). That way if I'm triggered I can just leave. I am lucky that I don't have to be at my desk at all times.

Although misophonia triggers are obviously the main issue, like you I have problems concentrating when there's a loud conversation nearby. It's just hard to filter it out. This helps me, actually, because then I can tell my co-workers that I find it hard to concentrate when there is noise therefore they might see me wear headphones so I can focus. This avoids the difficult "I have misophonia" conversation - I'm such a coward :-p

Soo

From: Misophonia Sufferer

Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 5:09 PM

To: soundsensitivity

Subject: Working in an office?

Hey everyone,

I work in an office and I can find it pretty distracting; I often wear earplugs and almost always wear headphones.

Sometimes I play a "crowded hallway" noise on "repeat" to drown out individual conversations.

I am wondering, do others of you work in an office and have similar coping techniques?

Or do you work in an office but not find yourself triggered?

Chris

[Guest guest]

I had a terrible situation in cubicle land and I resorted to what I affectionately call “chemical warfare”. The jerk next to me didn’t just tap his fingers, he actively drummed hard on his keyboard. 3 cubicles away people could hear him. I asked him to stop and his flip reply was that he is the way he is and he’ll try if he feels like it. I brought in my strongest smelling perfume and each time he started drumming I would very quietly take it out of my desk drawer and spritz a bit just over the area where his head was. After a few days of this he asked me if I smelled anything. I innocently said no, I had no idea what he was talking about. He may have eventually caught on but I don’t think so. I did speak to the HR woman and once she understood that I am not on his team and don’t work with him, he was moved within 24hrs. This had more to do with the fact that I had hired an attorney but just something to consider J

[Guest guest]

, you are awesome. Remind me to try the perfume thing at some point...

-Kate

>

> I had a terrible situation in cubicle land and I resorted to what I

> affectionately call " chemical warfare " . The jerk next to me didn't just tap

> his fingers, he actively drummed hard on his keyboard. 3 cubicles away

> people could hear him. I asked him to stop and his flip reply was that he is

> the way he is and he'll try if he feels like it. I brought in my strongest

> smelling perfume and each time he started drumming I would very quietly take

> it out of my desk drawer and spritz a bit just over the area where his head

> was. After a few days of this he asked me if I smelled anything. I

> innocently said no, I had no idea what he was talking about. He may have

> eventually caught on but I don't think so. I did speak to the HR woman and

> once she understood that I am not on his team and don't work with him, he

> was moved within 24hrs. This had more to do with the fact that I had hired

> an attorney but just something to consider J

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I work in a small library so my desk is in the office where I'm really close to co-workers. It's also the main area for gathering, talking, snacks, ect. I got a pair of over the ear headphones from skull candy, and listen to brown noise from simplynoise.com It's the best I can do because I have to at least be able to hear the phone and to tell if someone around me is trying to talk to me. It's a struggle and there are days when the triggers are just too much. From: Misophonia Sufferer

To: "soundsensitivity " <soundsensitivity > Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 12:09 PM Subject: Working in an office?

Hey everyone,I work in an office and I can find it pretty distracting; I often wear earplugs and almost always wear headphones.Sometimes I play a "crowded hallway" noise on "repeat" to drown out individual conversations.I am wondering, do others of you work in an office and have similar coping techniques?Or do you work in an office but not find yourself triggered?Chris

[Guest guest]

What you are saying is EXACTLY what I go through everyday! It takes every ounce of energy to not scream.. it is an awful way to spend your entire work day! It does put me in such a bad mood and I just internalize it all day long, repeating the noise in my mind over and over.. anticipating when it will happen again. There are some days I am brought to tears b/c of the agony and rage.

Oh, lord, some of my worst triggers are at work. I'm in a small office with one other girl close by me, and she drinks at least 2 liters of soda a day, so she is constantly grunting and burping like a pig. Not only is it disgusting and rude, but it's enough to make me want to break my monitor. Sometimes I literally cover my ears and put my head down to keep from screaming or throwing something at her.

Other times, she will sneeze so suddenly and so violently that it echoes off our tiny office walls, that it actually makes me go deaf with ear ringing for a few moments. And she vocalizes her sneezes too like "Hhhhhaaachhhhooooooowowowowowowo" It's RIDICULOUS.

It keeps me from concentrating on work and throws me off my whole day. I'll be upset in a bad mood, which only heightens my sensitivity.

So I've been playing brownian noise on my computer speakers, which I find the most relieving, and that helps me refocus somewhat.

To: "Soundsensitivity " <Soundsensitivity > Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 10:25 AMSubject: Re: Working in an office?

Hi,

I can completely relate. I have a girl that sits next to be that hiccups, burps, talks to herself with very destinctive sssssssss sounds and is always laughing for no reason. To make matters worse, I have a lady that sits across from me that sucks on her teeth very loudly all day long and smokes so much she is constantly hacking up a lung. I have been reduced to tears on several occasions. Ear plugs don't work and I try to drown out the vile sounds and headphones are distracting with what I do for work. I feel helpless. I have asked on several times to be moved but with my luck I will get an open mouth chewer or ear piercing finger sucker. I wish I wasn't so easily annoyed, I feel like a bad person sometimes.

To: Soundsensitivity Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 10:12 AMSubject: Re: Working in an office?

Hi Chris

I work in an office and am constantly triggered. On either side of my cubicle is someone who makes trigger noises which set me off into a rage. To be honest, I don't even have a coping mechanism anymore. I keep my radio on low but that does not help. I cannot wear headphones or earplugs as I have many people coming to me and I have to answer the phones all throughout the day. The guy on one side of me drums on his desk all the time and snaps his fingers when he walks up and down the hall. The woman on the other side hiccups all the time. I am at the point where I am in such anticipation of the noise that I get myself enraged on the way to work. I try self talk to get me through it but it is very difficult. I think my next step is to get a noise machine or a loud fan to keep at my desk to drown out some of the sound.

If you have any suggestions, please share.

Hey everyone,

I work in an office and I can find it pretty distracting; I often wear earplugs and almost always wear headphones.

Sometimes I play a "crowded hallway" noise on "repeat" to drown out individual conversations.

I am wondering, do others of you work in an office and have similar coping techniques?

Or do you work in an office but not find yourself triggered?

Chris

[Guest guest]

I am glad to know that I am not the only one with office-related misophonia.

I have been dealing with misophonia for years. Normally associated with loud eating or crunching sounds at home with small groups, I was surprised to find it hitting at the office. I have only been working here a year and have never worked in a small office before. Some days are worse than others, but sometimes the sound of my neighbors' weak coughing, hacking loogies or clearing their throats 80 times in a row drives me straight up the walls. I am even noticing now that a coworker I work very closely with will drive me nuts with her typing or muttering (she only does this when she has headphones on) or especially the sound of her opening and closing her water bottle. I don't know why, but that sound in particular makes me crazy and furious. It's nothing she can help and drinking water is great, but I suppose the repetition is unnerving. This co-worker knows about my misophonia as I learned the term while working here and

was excited that I finally had a name for it. So she is sensitive to the fact that she eats almost constantly at her desk and can't always control how loudly she crunches a handful of almonds. I'd love to find some new ways to drown out the sounds or calm my nerves when these things start happening.

I normally try to listen to music in my headphones on Pandora, but for some reason it is causing my browser to flash in seizure-inducing ways. Are there any internet music sites that you have found that are easier on non-updated computers? I also have an iPod, but the darn thing doesn't seem to hold a charge for more than a couple of hours.

Grateful to not be alone,

Bridget

[Guest guest]

Birdget, can you keep your iPod plugged into the wall (recharging) while you’re listening to it at work so you don’t have to worry about the battery running down? You could also download some white/pink/brown noise to it. From: Soundsensitivity [mailto:Soundsensitivity ] On Behalf Of Bridget MaguireSent: Monday, February 27, 2012 3:28 PMTo: Soundsensitivity Subject: Re: Working in an office? I am glad to know that I am not the only one with office-related misophonia. I have been dealing with misophonia for years. Normally associated with loud eating or crunching sounds at home with small groups, I was surprised to find it hitting at the office. I have only been working here a year and have never worked in a small office before. Some days are worse than others, but sometimes the sound of my neighbors' weak coughing, hacking loogies or clearing their throats 80 times in a row drives me straight up the walls. I am even noticing now that a coworker I work very closely with will drive me nuts with her typing or muttering (she only does this when she has headphones on) or especially the sound of her opening and closing her water bottle. I don't know why, but that sound in particular makes me crazy and furious. It's nothing she can help and drinking water is great, but I suppose the repetition is unnerving. This co-worker knows about my misophonia as I learned the term while working here and was excited that I finally had a name for it. So she is sensitive to the fact that she eats almost constantly at her desk and can't always control how loudly she crunches a handful of almonds. I'd love to find some new ways to drown out the sounds or calm my nerves when these things start happening. I normally try to listen to music in my headphones on Pandora, but for some reason it is causing my browser to flash in seizure-inducing ways. Are there any internet music sites that you have found that are easier on non-updated computers? I also have an iPod, but the darn thing doesn't seem to hold a charge for more than a couple of hours. Grateful to not be alone,Bridget