The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates being with her relatives during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her earplugs - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For her, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult season as the auditory triggers of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these noises."
The individual has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. A study reported almost one in five people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a source of agony for sufferers.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to avoid problematic noises.
She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
