The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman anticipates seeing her family this Christmas, but admits a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by using her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas is a especially challenging period as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.
"There's this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."
The individual has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, particularly those made by individuals.
It is prevalent across the population. Researchers found nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Often it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, explains her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid triggering sounds.
She explains her sensitivity is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Cope
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. For instance, 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.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
