Yuletide Can Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but notes a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, this time of year is a especially challenging period as the sounds of people eating, sipping loudly and nose-blowing trigger intense distress.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
She has experienced this condition from a young age and for her that makes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds made by individuals.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts found nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's noises associated with eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a source of agony for sufferers.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She explains her condition is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and burst into tears and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Handle It
For those affected then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to clinical psychologists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Try to associate the specific noise affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
