The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to being with her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging time as the auditory triggers of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety.
"I get this wave of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tighten and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these noises."
She has suffered from this condition from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, particularly those produced by other people.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. A study discovered a significant portion of people experience it.
Often it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, including things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread 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 internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy season can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers.
She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then the stress response will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
