The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner.
For her, the holidays can be a notably tough season as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety.
"I get this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
The individual has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises produced by individuals.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Visualise an Alternative: Imagination is key. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. As an example, 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 active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
