Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates being with her family during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the holiday meal.
For her, this time of year can be a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers."
She has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds coming from individuals.
It is prevalent across the population. A study found almost one in five people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the most wonderful season can transform into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
She, a university student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, says the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel awkward, 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 hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your understanding of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.