Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a particularly difficult time as the auditory triggers of other people chewing, slurping and sniffling make her feel intense distress.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it as though I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these noises."
She has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises made by those around you.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. A study discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Often it's sounds linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a living nightmare for sufferers.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.
She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to experts.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or are troubled. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
