Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman anticipates seeing her relatives during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a particularly difficult time as the sounds of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.
"I experience this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these noises."
The individual has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts reported almost one in five people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to experts.
- Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
