Yuletide Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman hopes for being with her relatives during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a notably tough season as the sounds of family members munching, slurping and sniffling make her feel intense distress.
"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these noises."
The individual has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, particularly those made by individuals.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Experts reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My family 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 guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to escape problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture an Alternative: Imagination is key. Try to associate the particular sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
