Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her relatives over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
In her case, the holidays can be a especially challenging period as the noises of people eating, slurping and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises."
She has lived with this condition for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, explains her strategy is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.
She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
