Christmas Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to being with her family over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays often feels like a particularly difficult season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety.
"There's this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."
The individual has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds coming from individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. A study found nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a university student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, states currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She notes her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
