Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
For her, the holidays is a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these noises."
The individual has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by other people.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts reported almost one in five people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid 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 enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By joining in, rather than 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 a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
