The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old hopes for being with her relatives this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a especially challenging season as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger intense distress.
"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds."
The individual has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds made by individuals.
It is prevalent in the UK. Experts discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious 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.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, says her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape triggering sounds.
She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Cope
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. 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 invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
