Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman anticipates being with her relatives over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
In her case, Christmas can be a especially challenging time as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her intense distress.
"There's this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers."
She has suffered from misophonia since she was 16 and for her that causes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. A study found almost one in five people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself 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 "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Handle It
For those affected then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
