Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to seeing her relatives this Christmas, but says a primary method she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
For her, Christmas is a especially challenging time as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
The individual has experienced this condition from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds produced by individuals.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers found nearly 20% people experience it.
Often it's noises linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia 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 quiet area to escape triggering sounds.
She notes her condition is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
