The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her relatives over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety.
"There's this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises."
The individual has suffered from this condition from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises produced by other people.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.
She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Manage
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
