The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but admits a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner.
For her, this time of year is a notably tough time as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"There's this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers."
She has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those produced by those around you.
The condition is widespread in the UK. A study discovered a significant portion of people experience it.
Often it's noises associated with eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a source of agony for those with the condition.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, says her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to minimize problematic noises.
She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy 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, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
