The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old hopes for being with her relatives over the holidays, but admits a primary method she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner.
In her case, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of people eating, slurping and sniffling trigger intense distress.
"I get this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
The individual has experienced sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises coming from other people.
The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers found nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds connected to bodily functions that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, states her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.
She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Try to associate the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
