The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll cope is by wearing her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
In her case, this time of year often feels like a especially challenging time as the auditory triggers of people eating, sipping loudly and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those made by those around you.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts discovered nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including things like chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. Usually, she would often retreat in a separate space to minimize problematic noises.
She says her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I wish 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 anxious 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 hard to explain without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Manage
For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
