The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas is a especially challenging season as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety.
"I get this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises."
She has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that renders the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by those around you.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Researchers reported a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.
She says her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas 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 sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Cope
For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
