Christmas Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas is a particularly difficult season as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, 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 this condition since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds produced by those around you.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts reported almost one in five people suffer from it.
Often it's noises connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, says her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then the stress response will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Handle It
For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
