#fwiw i barely sniffle when i have a cold so hearing someone do it makes me incredibly angry even though i *know* it's not a big deal

[mesaprotector]

I absolutely despise having a cold to a much greater degree than most people seem to (it's not "just a cold", it's a week of misery when I can't breathe or even sleep!) and one offshoot of that is I get absolutely crazy anxiety if I have to be around someone who seems like they have a cold (sniffling, sneezing, etc.). It literally drives me insane, and I've completely snapped a couple times when forced to be around a sick person for a long time. I have no trouble with flying/buses and so on normally but if I start hearing coughing I start to lose it. People are not understanding about this - they either laugh or are offended if I plead to change seats.

It overlaps with misophonia but it's not just that. Sometimes being around someone clearing their throat or chewing loudly will drive me insane even though I'm not worried they have a cold. But if they're sniffling but then I hear them say their allergies are really acting up - I actually stop feeling anxious!