Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to being with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas can be a notably tough period as the noises of family members munching, slurping and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up 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 causes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises made by other people.
It is prevalent in the UK. Experts discovered almost one in five people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a source of agony for those with the condition.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
She, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Usually, she would often retreat in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound 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 affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
