The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for being with her family this Christmas, but admits a primary method she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a especially challenging time as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety.
"I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to stop these triggers."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds made by other people.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts found almost one in five people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as things like chewing, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a university student, who has struggled with misophonia since aged 10, explains her strategy is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.
She notes her sensitivity is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Cope
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the competition element should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
