The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, this time of year often feels like a particularly difficult period as the sounds of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.
"I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to stop these sounds."
She has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by other people.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study found a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, states currently her plan is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.
She explains her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
