The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
In her case, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers."
The individual has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those made by other people.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Researchers found nearly 20% people experience it.
Typically it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid 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 really big battle of managing my symptoms to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape problematic noises.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
