Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman anticipates spending time with her relatives during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
In her case, the holidays is a notably tough period as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers."
She has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises made by individuals.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts found a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, says currently her plan is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.
She notes 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 desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture an Alternative: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
