Christmas Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie is looking forward to seeing her family this Christmas, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner.
For her, the holidays is a notably tough season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and breathing heavily cause her profound anxiety.
"There's this sensation of instant dread, my entire being will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
Lottie has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds produced by individuals.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Experts reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's noises connected to bodily functions that trigger a reaction, including examples such as chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a source of agony for sufferers.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
She, 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 get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a different room to avoid problematic noises.
She notes her misophonia is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"People assume you to be around loved ones, and I desire to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Manage
For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly try joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your understanding of it moves from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.