Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her family over the holidays, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas is a particularly difficult period as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds."
She has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises coming from other people.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts reported almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's noises associated with bodily functions that cause distress, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.
She says her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Manage
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the specific noise causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
