The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but admits a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a especially challenging time as the sounds of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers."
The individual has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises produced by other people.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers discovered almost one in five people experience it.
Frequently it's noises connected to bodily functions that cause distress, along with things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.
She explains her condition is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Handle It
For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
