The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - notably for the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas is a particularly difficult period as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I experience this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tighten and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
Lottie has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, notably sounds produced by those around you.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Researchers discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can cause a strong emotional response that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states her strategy is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Imagine Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at joining in. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. Even though the sound stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
