Christmas Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman anticipates seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, this time of year can be a especially challenging season as the noises of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises."
The individual has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by individuals.
It is prevalent across the population. Researchers reported nearly 20% people experience it.
Typically it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, says currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She says her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
