Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie is looking forward to being with her family over the holidays, but admits a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - particularly at the main festive feast.
In her case, this time of year is a particularly difficult season as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her profound anxiety.
"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
The individual has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Experts found almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's sounds linked to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can cause a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
She, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states her strategy is to use headphones to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to be around 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 anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Manage
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
