The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman hopes for being with her loved ones this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.
In her case, the holidays often feels like a notably tough time as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these noises."
She has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study reported almost one in five people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, says currently her plan is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize triggering sounds.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Cope
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
