Christmas Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie is looking forward to being with her loved ones over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a particularly difficult season as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds."
She has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those coming from other people.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts reported a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to bodily functions that cause distress, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize problematic noises.
She notes her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then panic will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your reaction of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
