Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman anticipates seeing her family during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
In her case, this time of year often feels like a notably tough period as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger intense distress.
"There's this feeling of instant dread, my entire being will just tense up and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these triggers."
She has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that causes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from other people.
The condition is widespread across the population. A study discovered almost one in five people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for sufferers.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states currently her plan is to listen to music to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I desire 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 begin to weep and then the stress response will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
