Christmas Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates being with her loved ones this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a notably tough season as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers."
She has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by those around you.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study discovered a significant portion of people experience it.
Often it's noises linked to bodily functions that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
The student, a university student, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.
She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, 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 invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
