The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates being with her family during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For her, Christmas can be a particularly difficult time as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.
"There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these triggers."
She has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds coming from individuals.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study reported almost one in five people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.
She says her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Imagination is key. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
