The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie hopes for seeing her family during the festive period, but notes a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.
For her, this time of year often feels like a especially challenging period as the sounds of family members munching, slurping and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."
She has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, particularly those coming from those around you.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Researchers found nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Often it's noises connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with misophonia since aged 10, states currently her plan is to listen to music to manage the meal. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.
She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I desire 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 panic will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound causing distress with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not at their best or are troubled. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your reaction of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
