The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old anticipates being with her relatives during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, the holidays can be a particularly difficult period as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily cause her intense distress.
"I experience this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises coming from other people.
It is prevalent across the population. Researchers found nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a source of agony for sufferers.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, states the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to escape problematic noises.
She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then panic will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Manage
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture an Alternative: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
