Am I being unreasonable for feelings of rage from the sound of someone eating crisps?!

[ShakingAndCrying]

I just got a quick sandwich to eat on my lunch break in my town centre and I hate eating on the go so sat on an empty bench.

There were two other benches with just one person sat on their phone on them.
I had just started eating when two women sat next to me as close to me as possible and pulled out a big bag of crisps to share.

Both of them then proceeded to crunch the crisps as loudly as possible right next to my ear and were licking their fingers then both putting them back in the bag 🤢.
I normally have my AirPods or loop earplugs but was in a rush and had forgotten them today.
I didn’t want to move to sit next to someone on another bench and torture them by eating next to them so tried to just eat my lunch quickly and move away.

I managed about 2 minutes desperately fighting the instinct to snatch the crisps off them and throw them in the bin and scream at them to stop bloody crunching!
In the end I threw my sandwich away because I was too wound up to eat it.

It’s a good job I did because when I glanced back before walking away one of the women was pouring the very last dregs from the packet into her mouth like her life depended on those crumbs. There was no way I could have coped sitting next to that.

I swear my misophonia gets worse with age and I struggle to handle any situations in public with diplomacy.
I’m autistic and usually very shy but the rage has driven me to a tantrum where I’ve flounced off more than once.

I can no longer eat in a restaurant with friends after an incident sat at a table with a group crunching prawn crackers in a Chinese restaurant. I often have to eat in a different room from my DP and a man snorting and sniffing on the bus meant I had to get off at an earlier stop last week - I usually avoid public transport but my car was in for an MOT.

I know it’s not the other persons fault or rational but I do genuinely worry I’ll end up in trouble one day for losing my temper with people talking with their mouths full, throat clearing, sniffing or biting their nails.

I know I’m unreasonable but I wondered if people were in agreement with me that it’s cruel to sit next to someone on a small bench and crunch crisps into their ear?!

I just wanted some understanding and condolences from other sufferers and if anyone has any tips (except earplugs or moving away) for managing it then I’d appreciate it.

If the bench hadn’t been empty when I sat down to eat my lunch then I’d have sat somewhere else rather than subject someone to my eating noises but I suppose if you don’t suffer from misophonia then you don’t realise how genuinely distressing it is to be in that situation.

I cant answer the poll, as while you handled things as well as you voukd, there was absolutely nothing wrong sleith doneine sitting on a bench and eating crisps. Do noone was unreasonable.

If you'd had the earphones, would you have been ok? You do ned strategies to cope the the sounds that give you the rage, as many will be everyday noises that most won't consider an issue, and you would be seen to have caused the issue if you did loose your temper.

I hope today is a more peaceful day for you.

I sympathise with the crisps - at least you could move from the bench - people eating them at their desks irritates me.

However! The crisps have an end point. Far, far worse (for me) is the knuckle cracking habit that some colleagues have. I appreciate that it is involuntary - but so too is the gasp I sometimes give when the crack interrupts an otherwise peaceful office area.

I don’t have it for food but I can’t bear people continuously sniffing or coughing or groaning in the coworking space or sauna etc. Last time it happened in the workspace I gave them some tissues in a passive aggressive fury. I did it with a smile so they were stunned and just accepted them and we got on with our day… I need to be more careful though as I could have picked the wrong person. Before being perimenopausal I would have walked away but I find I’m cracking more often now.

Fellow misophonia sufferer here so you have my full understanding and sympathies. I have to eat dinner in a different room from my partner fairly often now as I swear it’s getting worse. It’s really tough.

I have this and am also autistic. Slurping, sniffing/snorting and singing, I get the rage when people sing along to the radio in the car, I can't escape and can feel panicky. I have to walk out of the room when DP eats, I don't mind all these noises from DC though which is weird.

Crunching of crisps and biscuits makes me feel sick in all my body. Its getting worse with age.

You know you have an issue with this, it's up to you to remove yourself. Others don't have to modify their behaviour to accommodate you.

I find the Magnum advert horrible when they crunch the top off the lolly. It doesn’t make me want to rush out and buy one.

I think this is ridiculous.

The OP and others with misophonia don’t actually assault people - they just use the language to describe the feelings of rage it induces.

I am with you on vocal fry. I have to switch off so many adverts and you tube things because the accompanying voice over is utilising bloody vocal fry.

I have the same. It’s very hard to live with and also hard for my children. I can’t bear the sound of crinkling bags or paper or eating. It’s torture for me.

This is unfortunately a "you" problem. You have to make changes not the other person. Like my husband you seem to have an inability to realise that these are normal noises that you make too.... it took me recording my husband eating crisps for him to realise he sounded just the same when he eats crisps... He assumed the other person we eating "way more loudly" - To say he was shocked was an understatement.