Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman hopes for seeing her family during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by using her earplugs - particularly at the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.
"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds."
She has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from other people.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Researchers discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, says currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to escape triggering sounds.
She notes her condition is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
