Christmas Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her family this Christmas, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas can be a especially challenging period as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these triggers."
She has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises coming from those around you.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts found a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Frequently it's noises associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My relatives are understanding, 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 make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the most wonderful season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Picture an Alternative: Imagination is key. Try to associate the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
