The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates being with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
For her, this time of year can be a particularly difficult period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, sipping loudly and nose-blowing trigger profound anxiety.
"I get this feeling of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tense up and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these noises."
Lottie has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds coming from other people.
The condition is widespread in the UK. Experts found almost one in five people are affected by it.
Frequently it's noises connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, including things like crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can transform into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states currently her plan is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.
She says her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable 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 sudden rage takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Cope
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Picture an Alternative: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with something completely different. So for example, 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 make the irritating noise into a challenge with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
