The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
A 23-year-old hopes for seeing her family during the festive period, but notes one of the only ways she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her noise-cancelling devices - notably for Christmas dinner.
In her case, the holidays often feels like a notably tough season as the auditory triggers of people eating, drinking noisily and breathing heavily trigger extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this feeling of instant dread, my every muscle will just tighten and it as though I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these noises."
Lottie has experienced misophonia for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises made by individuals.
It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts discovered nearly 20% people experience it.
Frequently it's noises linked to bodily functions that lead to discomfort, including things like crunching, heavy breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
Lottie says: "There are so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be anxiety inducing and make you fear it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of enduring my distress to ensure others enjoy themselves."
So it's obvious why the supposedly joyous time of the year can quickly turn into a living nightmare for affected individuals.
Noises that may be considered normal, like someone drinking champagne, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even result in them withdrawing from gatherings.
The student, a young adult, who has struggled with sound sensitivity from childhood, explains the approach she intends to use is to put her earphones in to manage the meal. On any other day, she would frequently go in a different room to minimize triggering sounds.
She says her misophonia is worse around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There is pressure to spend time with loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will take over.
"It can come across as if I'm being difficult and dramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
For those affected then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Visualise Something Else: Imagination is crucial. Attempt to link the triggering sound bothering you with a neutral concept. As an illustration, try to picture someone's slurping is just a waterfall. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound affecting you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Use lightheartedness and turn the annoying sound into a challenge with the person. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at joining in. By mimicking, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an willing part. And the game aspect should help redirect your focus and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Develop a Narrative: One more method is to try to fabricate an explanation about the reason someone creating the sound is behaving that way. So if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not in good health or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the noise remains identical, your reaction of it changes from being irritating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
