Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her family this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.
In her case, the holidays can be a especially challenging time as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel intense distress.
"I get this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
The individual has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from individuals.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. A study found nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a university student, who has dealt with 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 different room to avoid problematic noises.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
