The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman hopes for being with her loved ones over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll endure is by using her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
For her, this time of year is a particularly difficult period as the sounds of people eating, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.
"I get this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."
She has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises produced by other people.
The condition is widespread across the population. A study found almost one in five people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to bodily functions that cause distress, along with things like crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is key. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
