Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her family during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll endure is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
For her, this time of year often feels like a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger profound anxiety.
"I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers."
The individual has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by individuals.
It is prevalent across the population. Researchers found a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a university student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, states currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to minimize triggering sounds.
She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
For those affected then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
