Yuletide Transforms Into a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie is looking forward to being with her relatives during the festive period, but admits a key strategy she'll cope is by wearing her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal.
For her, the holidays can be a particularly difficult season as the auditory triggers of family members munching, sipping loudly and nose-blowing trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this sensation of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."
Lottie has experienced misophonia since she was 16 and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to particular auditory triggers, particularly those coming from those around you.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts reported a significant portion of people experience it.
Typically it's sounds connected to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to make other people feel uncomfortable. It's like a really big battle of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the traditionally happy period can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Sounds that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, opening presents, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a powerful reaction that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity for over a decade, says her strategy is to use headphones to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"I feel as if this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then panic will take over.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
Several Strategies to Cope
For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise bothering you with something completely different. So for example, try to envision someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt joining in. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person making the noise is behaving that way. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or could be emotional. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
