The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her family during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, this time of year often feels like a notably tough period as the noises of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"I experience this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."
She has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds made by other people.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Researchers reported a significant portion of people experience it.
Frequently it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, as well as things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia from childhood, says currently her plan is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to escape problematic noises.
She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt 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.
- Picture an Alternative: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.