Christmas Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her relatives over the holidays, but notes a key strategy she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - especially during Christmas dinner.
In her case, this time of year is a particularly difficult season as the auditory triggers of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to manage these triggers."
She has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds coming from other people.
The condition is widespread across the population. Experts discovered nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises associated with bodily functions that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a powerful reaction that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, says currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.
She explains her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if 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.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Imagination is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
