Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie anticipates seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year can be a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.
"I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds."
Lottie has experienced this condition for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises produced by those around you.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts discovered nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Often it's noises associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including things like crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can rapidly become a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a young adult, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, states her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.
She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Cope
For those affected then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Imagine an Alternative: Mental imagery is key. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is eating noisily try mimicking the sound. Through participation, 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.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
