Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman anticipates seeing her relatives over the holidays, but admits a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.
In her case, the holidays often feels like a particularly difficult period as the noises of family members munching, slurping and sniffling cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from other people.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts reported almost one in five people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.
She explains her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Manage
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Try to associate the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
