Christmas Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
One young woman anticipates seeing her family over the holidays, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by using her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas is a particularly difficult time as the sounds of people eating, slurping and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this sensation of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds."
Lottie has lived with sound sensitivity from a young age and for her that causes the festive season "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by other people.
It's surprisingly common across the population. A study discovered almost one in five people experience it.
Typically it's noises associated with bodily functions that lead to discomfort, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you want to avoid it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of managing my symptoms to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the supposedly joyous season can transform into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity since aged 10, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. Usually, she would frequently go in a separate space to escape distressing triggers.
She notes her misophonia is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Picture Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at copying the noise. Through participation, rather than feeling like the sound is unwanted, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or are troubled. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the noise stays the same, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
