Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman anticipates spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
For her, this time of year is a particularly difficult period as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"I get this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises."
She has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from individuals.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Experts found a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Often it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the most wonderful season can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic 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."
Several Strategies to Manage
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
