The Holiday Season Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie is looking forward to being with her family over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas is a particularly difficult season as the noises of people eating, sipping loudly and nose-blowing make her feel profound anxiety.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."
Lottie has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, notably sounds coming from those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. A study reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that trigger a reaction, along with things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape triggering sounds.
She says her sensitivity is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this intense irritation comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Manage
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Visualise an Alternative: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily attempt joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
