Christmas Transforms Into a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old hopes for spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but says a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her earplugs - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays can be a notably tough season as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds made by other people.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. A study reported nearly 20% people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy period can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
The student, a university student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with an unrelated image. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you is neutral.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
