Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates seeing her loved ones this Christmas, but notes a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast.
For her, this time of year can be a particularly difficult time as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and nose-blowing cause her profound anxiety.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises."
She has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those produced by other people.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Researchers found nearly 20% people experience it.
Often it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, including things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a source of agony for sufferers.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to escape triggering sounds.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, according to experts.
- Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the noise remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
