Yuletide Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman hopes for spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For her, the holidays can be a particularly difficult season as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and nose-blowing trigger profound anxiety.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."
She has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people experience it.
Frequently it's noises connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very aware 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 the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to be around family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.