Yuletide Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old hopes for being with her family over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner.
For her, Christmas is a notably tough time as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and sniffling make her feel intense distress.
"I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
The individual has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds produced by individuals.
The condition is widespread in the UK. A study reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
She, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She notes her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to be around family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
