The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her family this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.
For her, Christmas is a particularly difficult period as the noises of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.
"I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers."
She has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, particularly those made by those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers found nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape triggering sounds.
She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Handle It
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
