Christmas Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman hopes for being with her relatives this Christmas, but says a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal.
For her, the holidays often feels like a particularly difficult period as the noises of family members munching, slurping and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises."
The individual has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by other people.
It is prevalent across the population. Researchers reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Cope
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
