Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates being with her family during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner.
In her case, Christmas can be a particularly difficult time as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tense up and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
The individual has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises produced by other people.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study reported almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's noises connected to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to minimize problematic noises.
She notes her sensitivity is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
