The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman hopes for being with her family over the holidays, but says one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas is a especially challenging season as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety.
"I get this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that causes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by other people.
It is prevalent across the population. A study discovered almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's sounds associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a university student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"People assume you to be around family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Manage
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
