Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie anticipates seeing her loved ones over the holidays, but notes one of the only ways she'll endure is by relying on her earplugs - especially during the holiday meal.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a especially challenging season as the noises of family members munching, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger intense distress.
"I get this sensation of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just tighten and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to stop these noises."
Lottie has suffered from misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to certain sounds, especially noises produced by those around you.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Researchers found nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Frequently it's sounds connected to mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "There are so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be daunting and make you fear it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous period can transform into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even cause them skipping events entirely.
She, a university student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains her strategy is to use headphones to cope. Typically, she would frequently go in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She explains her condition is worse around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "hard".
"People assume you to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will take over.
"It may seem as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are various strategies you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by experts.
- Imagine Something Else: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an engaged person. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person making the noise is having to make that sound. Imagine if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
