The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her family during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers."
The individual has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those coming from individuals.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers found a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Frequently it's noises associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the most wonderful period can transform into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
