Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman anticipates being with her family this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas can be a notably tough season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.
"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these triggers."
She has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises produced by those around you.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Experts discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to minimize problematic noises.
She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
