Christmas Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman anticipates seeing her relatives over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
For her, the holidays often feels like a particularly difficult season as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this wave of instant dread, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises made by those around you.
It is prevalent across the population. A study found nearly 20% people experience it.
Typically it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid problematic noises.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect 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 doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
