The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her family during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
In her case, this time of year is a particularly difficult season as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises."
The individual has experienced this condition for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises produced by other people.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious 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 hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Manage
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Try to associate the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
