Christmas Transforms Into a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her loved ones over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas is a notably tough period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, sipping loudly and breathing heavily make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this sensation of sudden panic, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises."
She has lived with this condition for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, especially noises made by individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to bodily functions that cause distress, along with things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, says currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. Usually, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize problematic noises.
She explains her sensitivity is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Cope
For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is key. Try to associate the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason 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 are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your reaction of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
