Christmas Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman anticipates seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her earplugs - particularly at the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult period as the sounds of people eating, slurping and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."
She has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from other people.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts reported nearly 20% people experience it.
Often it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very aware 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 time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, explains her strategy is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape problematic noises.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Cope
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, according to experts.
- Imagine Something Else: Imagination is key. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
