Christmas Transforms Into a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her family during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
For her, the holidays is a notably tough period as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this wave of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by individuals.
It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for sufferers.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.
She notes her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"It's like this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Cope
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
