Christmas Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones this Christmas, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - especially during the main festive feast.
In her case, this time of year often feels like a especially challenging time as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and nose-blowing make her feel profound anxiety.
"I experience this feeling of sudden panic, my entire being will just tense up and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these sounds."
Lottie has suffered from sound sensitivity since she was 16 and for her that renders the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to specific noises, particularly those produced by other people.
It's surprisingly common across the population. Experts found nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that lead to discomfort, as well as things like chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you want to avoid it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a constant struggle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's clear why the supposedly joyous period can rapidly become a source of agony for affected individuals.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or tucking into a Christmas dinner can provoke a visceral feeling that can even result in them skipping events entirely.
The student, a university student, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, states the approach she intends to use is to listen to music to cope. Typically, she would often retreat in a different room to avoid problematic noises.
She notes her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There is pressure to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this sudden rage takes hold, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"To others it appears as if I'm being unreasonable and dramatic, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it."
Several Strategies to Manage
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by specialists.
- Imagine Something Else: Mental imagery is key. Work on connecting the particular sound affecting you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the culprit. For example, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an engaged person. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected.
- Create a Scenario: Another technique is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a bit more accepting about it.
