Christmas Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie hopes for spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but notes a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her earplugs - particularly at the main festive feast.
For her, the holidays is a particularly difficult season as the sounds of family members munching, drinking noisily and nose-blowing cause her extremely uncomfortable.
"There's this wave of instant dread, my entire being will just freeze and it feels like I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to manage these triggers."
Lottie has experienced sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the Christmas time "exceptionally stressful".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, especially noises produced by individuals.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. A study reported nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's noises associated with mouth, throat or facial movements that cause distress, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
Triggering Stress
Lottie says: "I face so many various auditory triggers at the holidays and that can be anxiety inducing and make you dread it.
"Those close to me are supportive, but I'm very aware that I don't want to upset others. It's like a constant struggle of managing my symptoms to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy period can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for sufferers.
Noises that may appear innocuous, like someone sipping a beverage, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can provoke a strong emotional response that can even cause them withdrawing from gatherings.
She, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia for over a decade, says currently her plan is to put her earphones in to get through dinner. Typically, she would frequently go in a different room to minimize distressing triggers.
She says her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so Christmas is always "hard".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I desire to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"I feel as if this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel stressed and begin to weep and then the stress response will activate.
"To others it appears as if I'm being difficult and melodramatic, but it's difficult to convey unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Handle It
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can use to handle the situation, based on advice from experts.
- Imagine an Alternative: Imagination is essential. Work on connecting the triggering sound causing distress with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's noisy drinking is just a gentle stream. This technique is to retrain your mind that the sound triggering you isn't harmful.
- Use Humor: Have a bit of fun and turn the annoying sound into a challenge involving the source. As an example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the game aspect should help shift your attention and make you slightly more tolerant.
- Develop a Narrative: Another technique is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. So if someone was sniffing, perhaps they're not feeling well or maybe they're upset. This approach is changing the meaning of the sound. While the noise doesn't change, your interpretation of it moves from being annoying, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
