The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her family this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a notably tough time as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to manage these noises."
The individual has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by those around you.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts reported a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Often it's sounds linked to bodily functions that cause distress, including examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She notes her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture an Alternative: Creative thinking is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
