The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to being with her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a especially challenging time as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel profound anxiety.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these noises."
The individual has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises made by other people.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Experts found almost one in five people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, states her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Handle It
For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
