The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her family during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of instant dread, my entire being will just tense up and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these triggers."
Lottie has experienced misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, particularly those produced by individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. A study found a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to bodily functions that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My relatives are supportive, 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 ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia for over a decade, says currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She says her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Handle It
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your understanding of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
