Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman hopes for seeing her family this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
For her, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging period as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
Lottie has experienced this condition for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Researchers found almost one in five people are affected by it.
Often it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a source of agony for sufferers.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then the stress response will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Cope
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
