Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman hopes for spending time with her family over the holidays, but says one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.
For her, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging period as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and nose-blowing make her feel profound anxiety.
"I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
The individual has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts found almost one in five people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
She, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains her strategy is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape triggering sounds.
She notes her condition is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Cope
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.