The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman hopes for being with her family this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
In her case, this time of year can be a especially challenging time as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."
She has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers found almost one in five people experience it.
Frequently it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
