Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her family during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For her, Christmas often feels like a notably tough period as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has experienced this condition for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by other people.
It is prevalent across the population. Researchers found almost one in five people are affected by it.
Often it's noises associated with eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
