Christmas Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, the holidays is a particularly difficult period as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to stop these sounds."
Lottie has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that causes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by those around you.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts found almost one in five people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can transform into a source of agony for sufferers.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers.
She says her sensitivity is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to be around family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the specific noise causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
