Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to seeing her family during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
In her case, this time of year can be a notably tough season as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.
"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
The individual has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that causes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by those around you.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts found a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy season can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a different room to escape problematic noises.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Cope
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily 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 game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.