Yuletide Transforms Into a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her family during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For her, this time of year often feels like a notably tough time as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and sniffling trigger intense distress.
"There's this sensation of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
The individual has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those produced by those around you.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Experts reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, including things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to be around family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Cope
For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
