The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for being with her family during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year is a notably tough period as the noises of other people chewing, slurping and breathing heavily trigger profound anxiety.
"There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises."
The individual has lived with this condition since she was 16 and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those made by other people.
It is prevalent across the population. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds connected to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a source of agony for sufferers.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "challenging".
"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is key. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
