Christmas Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to being with her relatives this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner.
In her case, the holidays is a especially challenging season as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."
Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises coming from other people.
The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers reported a significant portion of people experience it.
Typically it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are aware, 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 guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, says her strategy is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
