The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to being with her relatives this Christmas, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year can be a particularly difficult season as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."
She has suffered from misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds produced by those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study found almost one in five people experience it.
Frequently it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy season can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, states currently her plan is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a different room to escape triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is essential. Try to associate the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
