The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates seeing her family this Christmas, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.
In her case, the holidays can be a especially challenging period as the sounds of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.
"I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
The individual has experienced this condition from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, particularly those produced by other people.
The condition is widespread in the UK. A study discovered almost one in five people are affected by it.
Often it's sounds connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a powerful reaction that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity since aged 10, says currently her plan is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid problematic noises.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Cope
For those affected then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to experts.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Attempt to link the particular sound causing distress with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. 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.
- Craft a Story: One more method 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, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
