Yuletide Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her relatives this Christmas, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by using her hearing protection - notably for the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a notably tough time as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"I experience this sensation of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
She has experienced misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those coming from other people.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts reported a significant portion of people suffer from it.
Typically it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My family are aware, 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 make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains her strategy is to use headphones to cope. Usually, she would frequently go in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.
She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then panic will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, according to specialists.
- Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: One more method is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the noise remains identical, your interpretation of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.
