Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her relatives this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by using her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult time as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers."
She has suffered from misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from individuals.
It is prevalent across the population. Experts found nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Often it's noises connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, including things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can transform into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to get through dinner. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize distressing triggers.
She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
For those affected then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
