The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - notably for Christmas dinner.
For her, the holidays is a especially challenging season as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
The individual has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises made by individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers found almost one in five people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for sufferers.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid problematic noises.
She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
