The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman hopes for being with her loved ones over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging time as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her intense distress.
"I experience this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has experienced this condition for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises coming from individuals.
It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers found almost one in five people experience it.
Frequently it's noises associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, says her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to escape problematic noises.
She says her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"It's like this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, 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, according to experts.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound bothering you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. 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. Although the noise stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
