The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
One young woman is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but admits a primary method she'll endure is by using her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas is a particularly difficult season as the sounds of family members munching, sipping loudly and sniffling trigger intense distress.
"I get this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just tighten and it as though I'm in peril, and I need to manage these noises."
She has lived with misophonia for several years and for her that causes the festive season "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, notably sounds produced by other people.
The condition is widespread in the UK. A study discovered almost one in five people experience it.
Frequently it's noises linked to eating or drinking that cause distress, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of sacrificing my own sanity to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can transform into a source of agony for sufferers.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
She, a university student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, states her strategy is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Usually, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and immediately start crying and then panic will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Handle It
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Imagination is essential. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a waterfall. The goal is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a game involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the competition element should help distract your brain and make you a little less affected.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. The idea is changing the meaning of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
