Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging season as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her intense distress.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."
The individual has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds coming from those around you.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study reported almost one in five people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, along with examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can transform into a source of agony for sufferers.
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.
She, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, states currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers.
She explains her condition is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
