Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her loved ones over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast.
For her, the holidays is a notably tough season as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."
Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that causes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, particularly those produced by individuals.
It is prevalent in the UK. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Often it's sounds linked to bodily functions that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
She, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to escape distressing triggers.
She explains her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this sudden rage washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
