The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to being with her loved ones over the holidays, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a notably tough season as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."
She has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by other people.
It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very conscious 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 others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize distressing triggers.
She says her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, 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 stressed and begin to weep and then the stress response will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
For those affected then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to experts.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
