Christmas Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her family during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner.
For her, this time of year can be a notably tough season as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and nose-blowing make her feel intense distress.
"I experience this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers."
The individual has lived with misophonia since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds produced by those around you.
It is prevalent across the population. Researchers found a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Often it's noises linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would often retreat in a different room to minimize problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy 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 could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
