The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old anticipates being with her family this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
For her, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger profound anxiety.
"I experience this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has suffered from misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from those around you.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Researchers reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape problematic noises.
She notes her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to be around family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then the stress response will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Cope
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
