Christmas Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates being with her loved ones over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily cause her intense distress.
"There's this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."
She has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts found a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She says her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain 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, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or are troubled. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
