The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman hopes for being with her family this Christmas, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year can be a especially challenging time as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.
"I get this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
The individual has experienced this condition for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds produced by individuals.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are understanding, 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 ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. Usually, she would frequently go in a different room to escape triggering sounds.
She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"People assume you to be around family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
