Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but says one of the only ways she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas is a especially challenging time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."
She has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those produced by individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays 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 upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then panic will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Manage
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Visualise an Alternative: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
