Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to being with her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.
In her case, this time of year often feels like a notably tough season as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises."
She has lived with this condition for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those produced by other people.
It is prevalent across the population. A study discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.
She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
