The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman hopes for seeing her relatives over the holidays, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner.
In her case, this time of year can be a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises."
The individual has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that renders the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by those around you.
The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, 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 dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then panic will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Imagine Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.