Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her family this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a particularly difficult time as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel intense distress.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."
She has experienced misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises made by individuals.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study found almost one in five people are affected by it.
Frequently it's noises linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
She, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize problematic noises.
She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Manage
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Visualise Something Else: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
