The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old anticipates being with her loved ones over the holidays, but admits a primary method she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
In her case, the holidays can be a notably tough season as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"There's this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
The individual has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises made by other people.
It is prevalent across the population. Experts discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds linked to bodily functions that cause distress, along with things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, says currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.
She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will activate.
"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 Cope
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the specific noise affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
