Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her relatives during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas is a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing cause her profound anxiety.
"There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
She has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by those around you.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study reported a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are understanding, 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 obvious why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to minimize problematic noises.
She notes her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
