Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas can be a particularly difficult period as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel intense distress.
"I experience this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by other people.
It is prevalent across the population. Experts reported a significant portion of people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
