Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman anticipates seeing her relatives during the festive period, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety.
"There's this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises."
The individual has experienced sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds made by individuals.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers found almost one in five people experience it.
Frequently it's noises associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, including things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "There are 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 conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, says currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then panic will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
