Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman anticipates seeing her family over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a especially challenging period as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, sipping loudly and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these noises."
She has experienced this condition for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds produced by those around you.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers found a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can rapidly become a source of agony for sufferers.
Noises that may seem harmless, 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 result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to avoid triggering sounds.
She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"People assume you to be around family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
