Yuletide Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman hopes for spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but says a primary method she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner.
For her, this time of year is a particularly difficult period as the sounds of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety.
"I get this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to stop these sounds."
She has lived with this condition for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises coming from other people.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts reported almost one in five people experience it.
Frequently it's noises connected to bodily functions that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to minimize triggering sounds.
She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to specialists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
