The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas can be a notably tough time as the sounds of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.
"I get this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has suffered from this condition from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises coming from those around you.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. A study discovered almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's noises associated with bodily functions that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me 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 make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, says currently her plan is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to be around family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Manage
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Imagine Something Else: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting 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 affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
