Yuletide Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie anticipates spending time with her family over the holidays, but says a key strategy she'll cope is by relying on her earplugs - notably for the holiday meal.
In her case, this time of year can be a particularly difficult season as the noises of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"There's this feeling of instant dread, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to stop these triggers."
The individual has suffered from misophonia for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by those around you.
The condition is widespread in the UK. A study found nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Frequently it's noises connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, as well as things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the traditionally happy season can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a powerful reaction that can even lead to them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity since aged 10, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
Three Ways to Cope
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Visualise Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. Through participation, 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: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or could be emotional. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
