Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her relatives over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, the holidays can be a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers."
She has suffered from sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds coming from individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. A study reported a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a university student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape triggering sounds.
She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to be around family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Handle It
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, according to experts.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Try to associate the triggering sound affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
