Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman hopes for spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.
For her, the holidays often feels like a especially challenging period as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.
"There's this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these noises."
The individual has experienced this condition from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds produced by individuals.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts found almost one in five people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a university student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. Usually, she would often retreat in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers.
She notes her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to be around family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
