The Holiday Season Can Be a Nightmare for Those with Misophonia.
Lottie anticipates being with her family during the festive period, but says a primary method she'll manage to get through it is by relying on her earplugs - especially during Christmas dinner.
In her case, Christmas is a especially challenging season as the sounds of people eating, drinking noisily and sniffling cause her intense distress.
"I experience this wave of sudden panic, my every muscle will just tense up and it seems as if I'm in a threatening situation, and I need to stop these triggers."
The individual has suffered from this condition from a young age and for her that makes the festive season "incredibly overwhelming".
Misophonia is an intense sensitivity to particular auditory triggers, particularly those made by those around you.
It's surprisingly common in the UK. Researchers found almost one in five people suffer from it.
Often it's noises associated with bodily functions that trigger a reaction, including examples such as crunching, breathing, and foot tapping.
'Anxiety Inducing'
She explains: "You encounter so many assorted problematic noises at Christmas and that can be stressful 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 really big battle of enduring my distress to guarantee the event goes smoothly."
So it's easy to understand why the most wonderful season can transform into a living nightmare for those with the condition.
Triggers that may appear innocuous, like someone drinking champagne, unwrapping gifts, or eating the holiday meal can trigger a strong emotional response that can even lead to them skipping events entirely.
She, a young adult, who has experienced misophonia since aged 10, says her strategy is to put her earphones in to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a separate space to avoid triggering sounds.
She notes her misophonia is more pronounced around people she's most familiar with, so the holidays is always "difficult".
"There's an expectation to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's physically and mentally challenging.
"The sensation is this sudden rage comes over me, which can feel awkward, or I'll feel anxious and begin to weep and then fight-or-flight will kick in.
"It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and melodramatic, but it's tough to describe if you haven't felt it."
A Few Techniques to Cope
If you suffer then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, based on advice from specialists.
- Visualise a Different Scenario: Mental imagery is crucial. Attempt to link the specific noise affecting you with something completely different. For instance, try to envision someone's noisy drinking is just a sink draining water. By doing this is to help your brain learn that the sound triggering you poses no threat.
- Make it a Game: Introduce playfulness and make the irritating noise into a competition involving the source. For example, if someone is eating noisily have a go at mimicking the sound. Through participation, instead of feeling like the sound is an attack, you become an willing part. And the challenge should help shift your attention and make you somewhat less sensitive.
- Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to fabricate an explanation about why the person creating the sound is having to make that sound. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, maybe they are not feeling well or could be emotional. By doing this is changing the meaning of the sound. Although the sound remains identical, your understanding of it shifts from being annoying, to feeling a little more neutral towards it.
