The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old anticipates spending time with her family this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll endure is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the main festive feast.
In her case, the holidays often feels like a particularly difficult time as the sounds of people eating, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel profound anxiety.
"I experience this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these noises."
Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, particularly those coming from individuals.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers discovered nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's noises connected to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "I face so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to guarantee everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Triggers that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, says the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"People assume you to spend time with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with an unrelated image. So for example, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.