Christmas Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a particularly difficult season as the sounds of other people chewing, sipping loudly and nose-blowing cause her profound anxiety.
"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."
She has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds coming from those around you.
It is prevalent across the population. A study found nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a source of agony for sufferers.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.
She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Cope
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Picture an Alternative: Imagination is key. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
