Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas can be a notably tough period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these noises."
The individual has suffered from misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by other people.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts discovered almost one in five people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, states her strategy is to listen to music to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers.
She says her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger 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 melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
