Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas can be a notably tough time as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by those around you.
It is prevalent across the population. Experts discovered almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, explains her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to be around family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Cope
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to experts.
- Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: 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 sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
