Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman hopes for seeing her relatives over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, the holidays often feels like a notably tough period as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."
She has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that causes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from those around you.
It is prevalent in the UK. Experts reported nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states currently her plan is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
