Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman hopes for seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel intense distress.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from other people.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with bodily functions that cause distress, including things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Cope
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a game involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
