The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman anticipates being with her relatives during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
For her, Christmas can be a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"There's this sensation of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
She has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds produced by individuals.
The condition is widespread in the UK. A study found almost one in five people experience it.
Often it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, states currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.
She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then the stress response will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
