Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman anticipates being with her family this Christmas, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
For her, the holidays is a especially challenging season as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her intense distress.
"I get this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers."
She has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds made by individuals.
It is prevalent in the UK. A study reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Often it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can transform into a source of agony for sufferers.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
