Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates being with her family over the holidays, but admits one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - especially during Christmas dinner.
For her, Christmas is a notably tough time as the noises of other people chewing, drinking noisily and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.
"I experience this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just freeze and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to somehow control these sounds."
Lottie has lived with misophonia from a young age and for her that renders the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises coming from individuals.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study discovered nearly 20% people experience it.
Often it's noises linked to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
The student, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a different room to escape problematic noises.
She notes her condition is more intense around people she's closest to, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to socialize with family, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
