Christmas Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a particularly difficult season as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises."
She has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from individuals.
It is prevalent across the population. Researchers found almost one in five people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to bodily functions that cause distress, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers.
She says her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to be around family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
