The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, this time of year can be a especially challenging period as the sounds of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.
"I get this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these noises."
She has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from individuals.
It is prevalent in the UK. A study discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
