Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her family over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
In her case, the holidays can be a especially challenging time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers."
She has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by other people.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study found almost one in five people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape triggering sounds.
She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then the stress response will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Cope
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
