Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman hopes for spending time with her loved ones over the holidays, but admits a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner.
In her case, this time of year often feels like a especially challenging time as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers."
She has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those made by those around you.
It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Visualise Something Else: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
