Yuletide Can Be a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie is looking forward to being with her family during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by relying on her earplugs - especially during the main festive feast.
For her, the holidays can be a notably tough time as the noises of people eating, slurping and sniffling make her feel intense distress.
"There's this feeling of immediate anxiety, my entire being will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these sounds."
Lottie has suffered from this condition since she was 16 and for her that causes the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to certain sounds, notably sounds made by individuals.
The condition is widespread amongst adults. Researchers found nearly 20% people experience it.
Often it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and foot tapping.
A Source of Dread
The sufferer notes: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My relatives are aware, 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 make sure the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy season can quickly turn into a living nightmare for sufferers.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
She, a young adult, who has struggled with misophonia from childhood, says her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. Typically, she would often retreat in a separate space to escape triggering sounds.
She explains her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "hard".
"People assume you to be around family, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's hard to explain without firsthand experience."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound bothering you with something completely different. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Have a bit of fun and make the irritating noise into a challenge involving the source. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not in good health or maybe they're upset. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the sound remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
