Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her earplugs - notably for Christmas dinner.
In her case, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult period as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety.
"I get this wave of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises."
The individual has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those made by those around you.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. A study found a significant portion of people experience it.
Often it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to experts.
- Visualise Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
