The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates being with her family during the festive period, but says a key strategy she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - notably for Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a notably tough time as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and breathing heavily cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this sensation of instant dread, my every muscle will just freeze and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
She has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by other people.
It is prevalent across the population. A study discovered almost one in five people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a young adult, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to manage the meal. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape triggering sounds.
She notes her condition is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then the stress response will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
For those affected then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, according to experts.
- Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is essential. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- 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, perhaps they're not in good health or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
