The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her earplugs - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For her, the holidays can be a especially challenging season as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety.
"I get this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these noises."
She has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds made by individuals.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts found almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a source of agony for sufferers.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, says currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.
She says her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Manage
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
