Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman anticipates being with her loved ones over the holidays, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a particularly difficult time as the noises of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily cause her intense distress.
"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."
The individual has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those produced by individuals.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers discovered almost one in five people experience it.
Frequently it's noises connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, along with things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very aware 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 everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.
She explains her condition is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked 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 hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Manage
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the specific noise affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
