Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman hopes for being with her relatives over the holidays, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a notably tough period as the sounds of other people chewing, sipping loudly and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers."
She has experienced this condition for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, particularly those coming from individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Often it's noises linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas 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 managing my symptoms to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a source of agony for sufferers.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to minimize distressing triggers.
She says her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then panic will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the specific noise causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
