Christmas Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety.
"I experience this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
The individual has suffered from misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds produced by other people.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study found nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape triggering sounds.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then panic will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Cope
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. 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 challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
