Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her family this Christmas, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by using her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.
In her case, the holidays can be a particularly difficult period as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.
"I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."
She has suffered from misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises coming from other people.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Researchers reported nearly 20% people experience it.
Typically it's noises associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very aware 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 clear why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to minimize problematic noises.
She explains her condition is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Cope
For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. By mimicking, 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: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
