Christmas Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie is looking forward to being with her family over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the main festive feast.
For her, Christmas often feels like a especially challenging period as the auditory triggers of family members munching, slurping and nose-blowing cause her intense distress.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
The individual has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, notably sounds made by individuals.
It is prevalent across the population. Researchers discovered a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Frequently it's sounds linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"My relatives are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a stressful ordeal for those with the condition.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
The student, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to get through dinner. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to minimize triggering sounds.
She explains her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this intense irritation takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
