The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her relatives over the holidays, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her earplugs - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, the holidays is a particularly difficult season as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her intense distress.
"There's this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has experienced this condition for several years and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by those around you.
The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers reported almost one in five people experience it.
Frequently it's noises connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, along with examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"Those close to me 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 everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, says her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, according to experts.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
