The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal.
In her case, Christmas often feels like a notably tough period as the noises of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to manage these noises."
She has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds coming from individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts reported a significant portion of people experience it.
Typically it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are supportive, 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 make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, says her strategy is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape problematic noises.
She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then panic will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is key. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
