The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman anticipates being with her loved ones this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.
For her, this time of year can be a notably tough period as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and nose-blowing make her feel intense distress.
"I get this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
She has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises coming from individuals.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. A study reported a significant portion of people experience it.
Typically it's noises linked to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a university student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, states currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a different room to escape triggering sounds.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Manage
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
