The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her relatives over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
In her case, the holidays can be a especially challenging time as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her intense distress.
"There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."
The individual has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises made by other people.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study found nearly 20% people experience it.
Typically it's noises linked to bodily functions that cause distress, along with things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, says her strategy is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape problematic noises.
She says her condition is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to be around family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then the stress response will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
