Yuletide Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal.
In her case, the holidays is a especially challenging period as the sounds of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.
"I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers."
The individual has lived with this condition for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by other people.
It is prevalent across the population. A study discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
