The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to seeing her family this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a particularly difficult period as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has suffered from this condition from a young age and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from individuals.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers discovered almost one in five people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very mindful 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 traditionally happy period can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to be around family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.
- Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.