The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to seeing her family this Christmas, but says a key strategy she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her hearing protection - particularly at the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year can be a particularly difficult season as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger profound anxiety.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just freeze and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to somehow control these triggers."
The individual has lived with sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that causes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, particularly those made by individuals.
It is prevalent amongst adults. Experts discovered almost one in five people suffer from it.
Frequently it's noises connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are aware, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would often retreat in a quiet area to avoid problematic noises.
She explains her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to spend time with family, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"The sensation is this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then the stress response will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Cope
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, according to experts.
- Visualise Something Else: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. So for example, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt copying the noise. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is doing it. So if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
