Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, the holidays often feels like a notably tough time as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety.
"I experience this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to stop these sounds."
She has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises produced by other people.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study reported nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to bodily functions that cause distress, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can transform into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, states currently her plan is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.
She notes her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then panic will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Try to associate the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
