Christmas Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie anticipates spending time with her loved ones over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.
In her case, this time of year often feels like a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and sniffling trigger intense distress.
"I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises."
She has experienced sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises produced by those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers found almost one in five people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a university student, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, states the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.
She says her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then panic will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
