Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman hopes for seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by using her earplugs - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas is a especially challenging period as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"I experience this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these noises."
She has suffered from misophonia since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, particularly those made by those around you.
It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers discovered almost one in five people experience it.
Often it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.
She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
