The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman hopes for seeing her family during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her earplugs - notably for Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging season as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises."
She has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that causes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. A study reported a significant portion of people experience it.
Often it's noises linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
She, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, says her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.
She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Manage
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story 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 are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
