The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman anticipates being with her relatives during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a especially challenging period as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers."
Lottie has suffered from this condition for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises produced by individuals.
The condition is widespread in the UK. A study discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, states currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She says her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Cope
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this 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 competition with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
