Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her family over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas often feels like a notably tough time as the sounds of people eating, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety.
"There's this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers."
She has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises coming from those around you.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study discovered almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, including things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful 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 constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape distressing triggers.
She notes her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. For instance, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
