Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her relatives over the holidays, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas is a especially challenging time as the sounds of other people chewing, sipping loudly and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises."
She has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds coming from other people.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts discovered almost one in five people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas 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 make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to escape problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, 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 attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation 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 at their best or could be emotional. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.