The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to being with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, this time of year often feels like a notably tough period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises made by other people.
It is prevalent across the population. Researchers found nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful period can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I desire 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 begin to weep and then the stress response will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Manage
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of 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 create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
