The Holiday Season Transforms Into a Nightmare for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her family this Christmas, but notes a primary method she'll endure is by relying on her hearing protection - especially during the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, this time of year often feels like a notably tough period as the noises of other people chewing, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger intense distress.
"There's this feeling of sudden panic, my whole body will just tighten and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these sounds."
Lottie has experienced misophonia from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises produced by other people.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers discovered almost one in five people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
The sufferer notes: "There are so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"Those close to me are understanding, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to ensure the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the most wonderful period can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can cause a visceral feeling that can even cause them avoiding social settings altogether.
Jenna, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, says currently her plan is to use headphones to manage the meal. Typically, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to minimize triggering sounds.
She says her condition is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so the holidays is always "challenging".
"There is pressure to spend time with family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being oversensitive and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Manage
If it's an issue then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from clinical psychologists.
- Picture Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Try to associate the specific noise bothering you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. The goal is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a competition with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone making the noise is doing it. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not feeling well or are troubled. The idea is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it moves from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
