Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, this time of year often feels like a particularly difficult period as the noises of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, especially noises made by other people.
It is prevalent across the population. Experts discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear 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 guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then the stress response will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at 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 somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
