Christmas Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old hopes for being with her family during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - particularly at the holiday meal.
In her case, this time of year is a especially challenging season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, drinking noisily and nose-blowing make her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."
Lottie has experienced this condition since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds coming from other people.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. A study reported a significant portion of people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can cause a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with misophonia for over a decade, states currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to escape distressing triggers.
She notes her sensitivity is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is key. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a challenge with the person. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your reaction of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
