The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her relatives over the holidays, but admits a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner.
In her case, the holidays can be a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."
She has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises made by those around you.
It is prevalent in the UK. A study reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize problematic noises.
She notes her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then the stress response will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Cope
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than 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.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
