The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to being with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
For her, the holidays can be a notably tough time as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises."
She has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those produced by other people.
It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers discovered almost one in five people are affected by it.
Often it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee 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.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Manage
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Try to associate the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
