Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates seeing her relatives over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal.
For her, this time of year is a especially challenging period as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."
Lottie has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Often it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face 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 mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers.
She notes her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Imagination is essential. Try to associate the specific noise causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
