The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman hopes for seeing her family over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a especially challenging season as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"There's this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers."
She has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those produced by those around you.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts reported nearly 20% people experience it.
Typically it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy season can rapidly become a source of agony for those with the condition.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to get through dinner. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.
She says her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or are troubled. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
