Christmas Often Proves to Be a Living Hell for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie anticipates being with her relatives this Christmas, but says a primary method she'll endure is by using her earplugs - notably for the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, Christmas can be a particularly difficult season as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and sniffling trigger intense distress.
"There's this sensation of immediate anxiety, my whole body will just tighten and it feels like I'm in peril, and I need to stop these sounds."
Lottie has suffered from misophonia since she was 16 and for her that renders the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is a decreased threshold to certain sounds, especially noises produced by individuals.
The condition is widespread across the population. Researchers reported nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's sounds associated with bodily functions that cause distress, as well as examples such as chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be daunting and make you dread it.
"My relatives are aware, but I'm very aware that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to guarantee others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the most wonderful season can transform into a source of agony for affected individuals.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, opening presents, or enjoying festive food can trigger a visceral feeling that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
Jenna, a 21-year-old student, who has struggled with sound sensitivity for over a decade, says her strategy is to listen to music to get through dinner. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape distressing triggers.
She explains her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to be around family, and I wish to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel stressed and burst into tears and then panic will activate.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's difficult to convey if you haven't felt it."
Three Ways to Handle It
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can attempt to manage the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Picture a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is essential. Attempt to link the triggering sound affecting you with something completely different. As an illustration, try to imagine someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. By doing this is to teach your brain that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Try a Competition: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the culprit. As an example, if someone is eating noisily try joining in. By mimicking, 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 slightly more tolerant.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was sniffing, it could be that they're not in good health or could be emotional. This approach is re-framing the context of the sound. While the noise stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being annoying, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
