Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman anticipates being with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner.
For her, Christmas is a notably tough period as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and sniffling make her feel intense distress.
"There's this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these noises."
She has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by individuals.
It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers found nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are aware, 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 ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.
She notes her condition is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.