Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her family during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
For her, the holidays can be a particularly difficult season as the sounds of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.
"There's this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these triggers."
She has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, particularly those produced by those around you.
It is prevalent across the population. A study reported a significant portion of people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous time of the year can transform into a source of agony for those with the condition.
Sounds that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to escape triggering sounds.
She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Several Strategies to Manage
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is crucial. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or are troubled. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.