The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to seeing her relatives during the festive period, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by relying on her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year can be a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this wave of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."
She has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds produced by those around you.
It is prevalent across the population. A study discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises connected to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
She, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She says her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
