Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates being with her loved ones this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, this time of year often feels like a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers."
She has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those produced by those around you.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts found a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds associated with bodily functions that cause distress, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "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 understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers.
She says her sensitivity is more pronounced 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.
"The sensation is this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Cope
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
