The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates seeing her relatives over the holidays, but admits a primary method she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.
For her, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult period as the noises of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."
She has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from individuals.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds associated with eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to minimize problematic noises.
She explains her condition is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Manage
For those affected then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
