Yuletide Transforms Into a Living Hell for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie is looking forward to seeing her loved ones during the festive period, but admits one of the only ways she'll endure is by wearing her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas often feels like a particularly difficult time as the sounds of other people chewing, drinking noisily and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety.
"There's this wave of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these noises."
She has experienced this condition from a young age and for her that makes the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to particular auditory triggers, notably sounds produced by other people.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study reported nearly 20% people experience it.
Often it's sounds linked to eating or drinking that lead to discomfort, along with things like chewing, heavy breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
A Source of Dread
Lottie says: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you want to avoid it.
"Those close to me are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful time of the year can transform into a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Noises that may seem harmless, like someone sipping a beverage, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can provoke a powerful reaction that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a young adult, who has dealt with sound sensitivity from childhood, explains her strategy is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a different room to avoid distressing triggers.
She notes her condition is worse around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with family, and I wish to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel anxious and immediately start crying and then the stress response will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If it's an issue then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Picture an Alternative: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. The goal is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. As an example, if someone is crunching loudly try copying the noise. By mimicking, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. Imagine if someone was making a nasal sound, perhaps they're not at their best or could be emotional. By doing this is altering the perception of the sound. While the sound doesn't change, your understanding of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate towards it.
