The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.
In her case, this time of year is a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, sipping loudly and nose-blowing cause her profound anxiety.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to manage these noises."
The individual has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from other people.
The condition is widespread across the population. A study found nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's noises linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, says her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a different room to escape problematic noises.
She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to be around family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
