Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman anticipates spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year can be a notably tough time as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her intense distress.
"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."
She has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, particularly those produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts found a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, states her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.
She notes her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to be around family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
