The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie anticipates being with her family over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by using her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.
For her, the holidays often feels like a particularly difficult period as the noises of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety.
"There's this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to manage these noises."
She has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds coming from other people.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study found a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Frequently it's noises connected to bodily functions that cause distress, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize distressing triggers.
She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Cope
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
