The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her family during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.
"There's 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 noises."
The individual has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by other people.
It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers found almost one in five people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize distressing triggers.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Cope
For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
