Yuletide Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her family during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by wearing her hearing protection - particularly at Christmas dinner.
For her, the holidays can be a notably tough season as the sounds of people eating, slurping and sniffling cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"I get this feeling of immediate anxiety, my every muscle will just freeze and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to somehow control these noises."
The individual has lived with this condition from a young age and for her that renders the holiday period "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to specific noises, especially noises produced by those around you.
It is prevalent across the population. Researchers reported a significant portion of people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with bodily functions that cause distress, along with examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
Triggering Stress
She explains: "I face so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My relatives are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's clear why the most wonderful season can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can trigger a strong emotional response that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced misophonia from childhood, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to avoid distressing triggers.
She says her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"People assume you to socialize with loved ones, and I wish to, but it's draining.
"The sensation is this uncontrollable anger comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will activate.
"It may seem as if I'm being oversensitive and dramatic, but it's tough to describe without firsthand experience."
Three Ways to Handle It
For those affected then there are various strategies you can use to handle the situation, according to specialists.
- Imagine a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Try to associate the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to envision someone's slurping is just a sink draining water. This technique is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. For instance, if someone is crunching loudly attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help distract your brain and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: A further strategy is to try to invent a reason about why the person creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound doesn't change, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral about it.