Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman anticipates being with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a especially challenging time as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by individuals.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, says her strategy is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to be around family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Cope
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
