The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her relatives during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
In her case, the holidays is a especially challenging time as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that causes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds produced by other people.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study discovered almost one in five people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises associated with eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She notes her sensitivity is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
