The Holiday Season Can Be a Terrifying Experience for Misophonia Sufferers.
Lottie anticipates spending time with her loved ones over the holidays, but says a primary method she'll cope is by using her noise-cancelling devices - notably for the main festive feast.
For the 23-year-old, the holidays often feels like a particularly difficult period as the sounds of family members munching, slurping and sniffling make her feel profound anxiety.
"I get this feeling of instant dread, my whole body will just tighten and it seems as if I'm in peril, and I need to stop these noises."
Lottie has experienced this condition for several years and for her that renders the Christmas time "deeply taxing".
Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, notably sounds made by individuals.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers found nearly 20% people are affected by it.
Typically it's sounds connected to eating or drinking that cause distress, as well as examples such as crunching, breathing, and pen clicking.
A Source of Dread
She explains: "You encounter so many different triggering sounds at the holidays and that can be stressful and make you fear it.
"My family are supportive, but I'm very mindful that I don't want to spoil the mood. It's like a internal conflict of enduring my distress to make sure everyone else is happy."
So it's obvious why the traditionally happy time of the year can rapidly become a stressful ordeal for affected individuals.
Triggers that may seem harmless, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or enjoying festive food can cause a strong emotional response that can even lead to them avoiding social settings altogether.
She, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity from childhood, says currently her plan is to use headphones to get through dinner. On any other day, she would frequently go in a separate space to escape problematic noises.
She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's most comfortable with, so Christmas is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to socialize with loved ones, and I want to, but it's draining.
"It's like this uncontrollable anger washes over me, which can feel embarrassing, or I'll feel panicked and immediately start crying and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It may seem as if I'm being difficult and overreacting, but it's tough to describe unless you've experienced it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are a few methods you can use to handle the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists.
- Imagine Something Else: Imagination is essential. 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 sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound affecting you is neutral.
- Use Humor: Introduce playfulness and turn the annoying sound into a game with the person. For example, if someone is crunching loudly have a go at copying the noise. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the competition element should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Create a Scenario: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about why the person creating the sound is behaving that way. For example if someone was sniffing, maybe they are not at their best or maybe they're upset. The idea is altering the perception of the sound. Although the sound stays the same, your reaction of it changes from being aggravating, to feeling a slightly more compassionate about it.
