Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to being with her loved ones over the holidays, but notes a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas is a notably tough period as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.
"I experience this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these triggers."
She has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that causes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises coming from other people.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers reported almost one in five people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, as well as things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are aware, 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 make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful period can quickly turn into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"It's like this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Cope
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Visualise an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
