Christmas Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman anticipates spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
In her case, the holidays can be a especially challenging period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel intense distress.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to manage these noises."
She has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those made by individuals.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people experience it.
Frequently it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My family are supportive, 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 the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, says her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape triggering sounds.
She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"It's like this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, 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 various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Visualise an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
