Christmas Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her family over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.
For her, the holidays often feels like a particularly difficult period as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
The individual has lived with this condition for several years and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by other people.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.
She notes her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
