Christmas Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her family during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by using her earplugs - particularly at the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.
"I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has experienced sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by other people.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts discovered almost one in five people experience it.
Often it's sounds connected to bodily functions that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to escape triggering sounds.
She explains her sensitivity is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
