Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates being with her family over the holidays, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
In her case, the holidays can be a particularly difficult season as the noises of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"I get this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
She has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises coming from those around you.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts found a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, states her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Handle It
For those affected then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
