The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman anticipates seeing her family over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her earplugs - particularly at the holiday meal.
For her, this time of year can be a especially challenging season as the noises of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these noises."
She has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by other people.
It is prevalent in the UK. A study reported a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Often it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a different room to escape triggering sounds.
She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to be around family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Cope
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your reaction of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
