Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman anticipates seeing her relatives over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a especially challenging season as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and nose-blowing make her feel intense distress.
"There's this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises."
The individual has suffered from this condition from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those coming from individuals.
It is prevalent in the UK. A study reported a significant portion of people experience it.
Typically it's sounds connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain 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.
- Imagine an Alternative: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
