Christmas Transforms Into a Living Hell 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 manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging season as the sounds of people eating, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel intense distress.
"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."
She has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises coming from those around you.
The condition is widespread across the population. A study reported almost one in five people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, states currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Cope
For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
