Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to seeing her family during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
In her case, this time of year can be a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel intense distress.
"I experience this wave of instant dread, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."
The individual has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds produced by other people.
It is prevalent in the UK. Experts found a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can quickly turn into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, explains her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid problematic noises.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then the stress response will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Handle It
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
