Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old anticipates being with her family during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
In her case, this time of year can be a especially challenging time as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and sniffling make her feel intense distress.
"I experience this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these noises."
She has experienced this condition from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those produced by individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. A study discovered nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to be around family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, 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."
Several Strategies to Manage
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
