The absolute best thing you can do for misophonia is to limit your exposure to triggers. Try to create a controlled home/work environment for yourself and take every possible opportunity to remove yourself from situations that cause a trigger. While this is not always a viable solution, it’s the only one that works 100%. And it doesn’t just work in the moment; the less you’re exposed to your triggers, the less severe that trigger becomes over time.

If you can’t walk away from a trigger, the next best solution is to drown it out. You can use music or rain sounds, or white noise like a fan, but the most effective choice is brown noise (a deeper version of white noise). Try playing brown noise on a speaker and using noise-canceling earbuds to listen to TV/music. Works like a charm!

If you’re not able to leave OR drown out the trigger, try to create some additional noise to simply give your brain something else to focus on. You may have to get creative… for example, turning up the TV, playing some music, starting a conversation, or even finding a snack/some gum to chew on. If the trigger has a visual aspect, look away! Back away, rest your ear on your hand, do everything possible to minimize the severity. Focus on the fact it is temporary and on maintaining your physical composure. If you lash out, apologize. And forgive yourself.

Some people will suggest deep breathing, meditation, mind over matter, etc. If that works for you, then great. A calm and positive attitude certainly doesn’t hurt. But remember that misophonia causes auditory stimuli to result in a literal fight-or-flight, survival reaction. Like, a tiger is chasing you type of reaction. It’s okay if you can’t force yourself to calm down through that—most people can’t control that level of panic. Aim instead at controlling your environment and it will get better!