The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her family during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by using her earplugs - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, the holidays often feels like a particularly difficult season as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.
"There's this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises."
The individual has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises produced by individuals.
It is prevalent across the population. A study found nearly 20% people experience it.
Often it's noises associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can rapidly become a source of agony for those with the condition.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, states her strategy is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, 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 unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
