Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her family over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.
In her case, the holidays is a notably tough period as the auditory triggers of people eating, sipping loudly and sniffling make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this wave of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
Lottie has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds produced by those around you.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers found almost one in five people experience it.
Often it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress 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 sufferers.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape triggering sounds.
She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Creative thinking is crucial. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
