Christmas Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast.
In her case, the holidays often feels like a particularly difficult time as the sounds of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"I get this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises."
She has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds made by those around you.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study found a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Frequently it's noises connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me 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 guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She notes her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
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.
- Visualise an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
