The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman hopes for seeing her family this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a particularly difficult time as the noises of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."
The individual has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds produced by other people.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts found a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She explains her sensitivity is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, according to specialists.
- Picture an Alternative: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
