Christmas Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman anticipates spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a especially challenging season as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers."
She has experienced this condition from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, particularly those made by other people.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a source of agony 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 trigger a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, says currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to escape triggering sounds.
She notes her condition is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to experts.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
