The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates being with her relatives over the holidays, but notes a primary method she'll cope is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays is a notably tough season as the noises of family members munching, slurping and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds made by individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, says her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Cope
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
